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W5 Investigates the Inhumane Treatment of Chickens on Canadian Egg Farms, Saturday on CTV
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TORONTO (October 18, 2013) – This week, W5 reveals the shocking state of Canada’s egg industry, offering viewers a rare look inside a massive egg production facility. Airing Saturday Oct. 19 at 7 p.m. ET/PT on CTV, W5 exposes the disturbing conditions some chickens endure in a major branch of Canada’s food industry.
In the hidden-camera investigation, “BEHIND THE BARN DOOR”, W5 travels to the heart of Alberta to visit Kuku Farms, a massive egg production centre that houses approximately 120,000 caged battery-hens. Video secretly taped by an undercover investigator with the animal rights organization Mercy for Animals Canada, and provided exclusively to W5, shows chickens enduring alarming conditions and treatment, which the investigator was told amounted to “standard industry practices”. The video shows chickens being housed in overcrowded and confining cages, living in unsanitary conditions, being handled roughly and, in some of the most troubling incidents, chicks being killed by slamming their heads against a hard surface – a process known as “thumping.”
W5 interviews Ian Duncan, a leading expert on animal welfare, and a professor at the University of Guelph, who helped write the voluntary rules for the Canadian egg industry. While viewing the video with W5 senior reporter Victor Malarek, Duncan concludes that Canadians will be shocked to see the conditions these birds are kept in. Reacting to the video, at one point Duncan tells Malarek what he is seeing is “very cruel treatment.”
As part of the investigation, W5 encounters a nationwide effort by the Canadian egg industry to avoid addressing the issues evident in the undercover video. Numerous attempts to seek comment were rebuffed and at one point egg farmers across Canada were directed to put up no trespassing signs and to chain their farm gates in order to keep W5 from visiting their facilities.
W5 also airs Saturdays at 9 p.m. ET on CTV Two, and can be seen on Investigation Discovery on Tuesdays at 11 p.m. ET, and Wednesdays 12 noon ET; on demand at CTVNews.ca/W5; the CTV App, the CTV Mobile channel on Bell Mobile TV, and through video on demand partners, such as Bell Fibe TV (visit CTV.ca for local listings). W5 is also simulcast in Toronto on CFRB NEWSTALK1010.
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About W5
With an ongoing commitment to covering tough, relevant stories with fair and responsible reporting, W5 is in its 48th season of investigative journalism. Hosted by CTV NATIONAL NEWS’ Lloyd Robertson, the award-winning series is the most-watched documentary program in Canada. Anton Koschany is Executive Producer of W5. Brett Mitchell is Senior Producer. Wendy Freeman is President, CTV News.
About CTV
CTV is Canada’s #1 private broadcaster. Featuring a wide range of quality news, sports, information, and entertainment programming, CTV has been Canada’s most-watched television network for the past 12 years in a row. CTV is a division of Bell Media, Canada’s premier multimedia company with leading assets in television, radio and digital. Bell Media is owned by BCE Inc. (TSX, NYSE: BCE), Canada’s largest communications company. More information about CTV can be found on the network’s website at ctv.ca.
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For more information, contact:
Patricia Garcia, Bell Media, 416.384.2645 or patricia.garcia@bellmedia.ca
Julie MacFarlane, Bell Media, 416.384.4623 or julie.macfarlane@bellmedia.ca
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