We demand the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) remove their control measures & threat to life of Sunshine the happiest goat & his herd, who live free on a vegan farm & animal sanctuary in Ontario.

MORE INFO & HAPPY PHOTOS OF SUNSHINE:

www.savesunshine.ca -- www.facebook.com/Shmunshmine

A program operated jointly by the Canadian Government (Canadian Food Inspection Agency, CFIA) and the animal/dairy/meat industry contacted Sherry & Yan in February, wanting to slaughter Sunshine (the happiest goat) as part of an "eradication program." Sunshine is a healthy, happy, member of their family, and lives on a vegan agri-tourism farm & animal sanctuary in Ontario.

For Sunshine, the CFIA's allegation is that they are suspicious he has genealogy links to an Ontario dairy farm where scrapie was reported (and all 482 goats were subsequently killed). Scrapie has been known to exist for centuries yet has only been reported in goats on three farms in Canada's entire history. Scrapie is a disease of the central nervous system in goats and sheep and will cause animals to die younger than they otherwise would have.

The CFIA's current practice is to kill goats merely being suspected of being linked to a farm where scrapie has been reported. They kill them in order to test for the disease as they do not recognize a live-test for goats.

The CFIA scrapie eradication program kills more healthy goats than have ever been reported to contract this disease. Therefore it simply cannot be in the interest of animal health, even though the eradication program is given powers under the "Health of Animals Act".

Sunshine and the other goats in his happy herd are falling under this particularly oppressive legislation just by virtue that their species does not have protection as pets -- even though they are members of the family in an ethical vegan household and not in any way part of the meat and dairy industry this eradication program is designed to benefit. They live happy, healthy, free lives on a vegan farm & animal sanctuary which means that no product whatsoever is produced from the animals, no breeding occurs, and no animals leave the farm.

On April 22nd the CFIA agreed to allowing Sherry & Yan time to consult & articulate their concerns about the CFIA's proposal and to allow them the opportunity to communicate the uniqueness of the situation (that a vegan farm / animal sanctuary is entirely outside of the animal industry). The CFIA ignored that agreement and showed up the very next morning and served a lifetime order, giving them control over the animal welfare & animal lives on this vegan farm. Now the decision to kill can be made by a CFIA inspector.

Sherry and Yan should have the right to operate their animal-sanctuary as ethical vegans; with their own ethical, moral and conscience obligations guiding daily interactions with the animals in their care. Those rights are violated by the CFIA forcing actions that do not adhere to the vegan conscience. This is especially of concern because the CFIA eradication program works in partnership with the food-animal industry, to serve their export ambitions.

The CFIA admits their scrapie eradication program is in the interest of industry and justifies the program as a requirement to meet Canada's international trade commitments. The CFIA clearly states that the goal of this eradication program is to "open up market access domestically and internationally," and to "maintain current trading partners and gain new ones." It will ensure that Canada "remains competitive and maintains market access."

The public should know the far-reaching effects of these eradication programs. Eradication of scrapie may indeed be in the interest of the animal industry to meet their international trade commitments, but killing, quarantining or controlling healthy animals ignores the value of life and the rights of individual animals and their human families. Especially in this case when healthy animals are of no risk and entirely outside the animal industry -- living happy, free lives on a vegan farm & animal sanctuary.

MORE INFO & HAPPY PHOTOS OF SUNSHINE:

www.savesunshine.ca -- www.facebook.com/Shmunshmine