Activists lined the street outside of the newly built barns of Patton Farms Inc., masked and socially distanced, holding signs highlighting their concerns.
Image Credit: SUBMITTED/AMY SORANNO
October 11, 2020 - 4:00 PM
Animal activists gathered outside a Kelowna industrial turkey farm and slaughterhouse slated to open in the next year.
Activists lined the street outside of the newly built barns of Patton Farms Inc., masked and socially distanced, holding signs highlighting their concerns.
"We know turkey farms are a major water, land, and air polluter making nearby residents sick, studies have shown that violent crime rates increase in regions where slaughterhouses open, and we know that the largest outbreaks of COVID-19 in Canada were at slaughterhouses, particularly bird facilities in B.C. Places like Patton are breeding grounds for infectious diseases, major contaminates, and violence,” Amy Soranno said in a press release.
“We are asking Patton to close all animal farm and slaughter operations, and transition to a commercial plant-based food operation, for the wellness and sustainability of our community.”
Patton has yet to open so the criticisms aren't specific to them.
The activists have launched a campaign called Shutdown Patton that aims to close Patton Farms Inc. and they have created a petition calling for “no slaughterhouses in Kelowna” They also ask people to e-mail their concerns to the Regional District of Central Okanagan (RDCO) at regionalboard@rdco.com
It's not the first time animal activists have turned their focus to local businesses.
In November 2019, Soranno and seven other protesters chained themselves to the entrance of Interior Savings branch in downtown Kelowna at Bernard Avenue and Richter Street.
The group said in a press release at that time Interior Savings plays a big role in sponsoring not only the Kelowna RibFest but other RibFests across B.C.
“Festivals like these cannot happen without sponsors donating money, therefore we are calling on Interior Savings to stop supporting a festival that destroys our environment and supports farms that have been proven to conduct criminal animal cruelty,” Soranno said.
They were arrested but police charges didn't follow.
In April 2019 they targeted Excelsior hog farm in Abbotsford. It supplies pig ribs to many of RibFest's vendors and they accused the farm of "criminal animal cruelty." More than 60 people rushed into Excelsior Hog Farm in late April 2019, with dozens sitting “in solidarity” with pigs.
Soranno herself is facing five counts of break and enter and two counts of mischief from the latter event.
To contact a reporter for this story, email Kathy Michaels or call 250-718-0428 or email the editor. You can also submit photos, videos or news tips to the newsroom and be entered to win a monthly prize draw.
We welcome your comments and opinions on our stories but play nice. We won't censor or delete comments unless they contain off-topic statements or links, unnecessary vulgarity, false facts, spam or obviously fake profiles. If you have any concerns about what you see in comments, email the editor in the link above.
News from © iNFOnews, 2020