While looking at a horrible story on a poor dog stuffed in a bag and tossed into the Ottawa River only to drown because, apparently, the Ottawa Humane Society only has one OSPCA agent on duty on weekends, Blythe came across an article announcing the new CEO of the Toronto Humane Society. It seems that they have decided upon Dr. Jacques Messier, DVM, MBA to lead the organization. I will quote from his official bio because no one would believe me if I didn’t:
Jacques brings to the table years of senior management and executive experience in the animal health industry having served as the Director of meat hygiene for the Canadian Government, the Director of the Bureau of Veterinary Drugs, CEO and President of Novopharm, COO of KV Pharmaceutical (St. Louis), President of the National Income Protection Plan, and CEO of Semex Alliance in Guelph Ontario.
Yes, that’s right: the new CEO of the Toronto Humane Society is an industry shill having been in charge of making sure that meat is safe for humane consumption (“Director of Meat Hygiene“) and for ensuring that veterinary drugs administered during meat production don’t cause adverse effects when consumed by humans (“Director of the Bureau of Veterinary Drugs“), the CEO and President of Novopharm (now called Teva Canada), COO of KV Pharmaceutical (manufacturer, primarily of estrogen based fertility drugs), President of the National Income Protection Program (owned by Oncidium Health Group, whose primary line of business is in keeping employees from making insurance claims), and CEO of the Semex Alliance, an especially horrifying organization which, in its own words, “distributes cattle genetics products, embryos and live cattle to dairy and beef industries.” How is anyone expected to have any confidence in the organization when its CEO has been personally involved in vivisection, genetic engineering, and supplying the beef and dairy industries with semen, embryos, and calves? I guess we can only be happy that he hasn’t personally been involved in pork or poultry production.
He remains (it would appear) a member of the Board of Directors of Nuvo Research. His bio for which brags “Most recently Dr. Messier was the Chief Executive Officer, The Semex Alliance, a partnership specializing in the development and marketing of high quality genetic technologies, products and services to benefit livestock producers around the world.” Nuvo Research, for what it is worth, “is dedicated to becoming a leader in the research and development of topically applied drugs that are delivered into and through the skin - initially focused on pain.” We all know what that means.
Presumably, what this all means is that Messier will be able to provide connections to giant corporations with deep pockets–something that the THS needs right now. In exchange for this money, the THS will give these vivisectionists and animal abusers a gloss of establishment respectability. Could you imagine a company donating money to the THS being investigated for animal cruelty? I can’t either.
Animal rights activists often complain that animal welfare organizations are in bed with exploiting industries, but it isn’t usually so blatantly obvious. But then, animal welfare in Canada has long-since lost its connection to the protection of working animals upon which it was founded in the nineteenth century, including the Toronto Humane Society, which has its origins in an effort to protect a working donkey. This is absolutely shameful.
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I am shocked an horrified. I wonder what changes have taken place at the THS. Why would anyone put a vet whose work history suggests has no regard for life, let alone animal welfare? And yes, the OHS does a lot of marketing for Iams (a Proctor and Gamble company, the same one involved in melamine poisonings). They give out coupons, free samples, and plastic folders filled with Iams propaganda to new adopters.
And on another topic, how about the conflict of interest of veterinarians selling food. This should not be allowed, and yet it is. Shame on the College of Veterinarians for not seeing this conflict of interest. Hills is owned by Colgate’s head company, and they market directly to vets, like they market their toothbrushes directly to dentists. So it is about a better marketing strategy, rather than a better product.