Twenty counts of animal cruelty have been laid against Chilliwack Cattle Sales Ltd. and seven of its employees in connection to a 2014 undercover video that showed cows being beaten.
According to the B.C. SPCA, 16 of the 20 counts fall under the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act and involve alleged acts of cruelty against dairy cows. Four of the counts are under the Wildlife Act and concern the treatment of a pigeon.
In a statement, Marcie Moriarty of the B.C. SPCA said the case marks the first time a B.C. company has been held accountable for acts of animal cruelty on a farm.
The SPCA says it received an undercover video in June 2014 showing dairy cows being beaten with chains, canes and rakes.
Moriarty says the video also shows cows being kicked and punched after they were trapped and could not escape the abuse.
She says six employees are each charged with causing distress to an animal and failing to care for and protect an animal under the Protection of Cruelty to Animals Act.
Three of the workers, along with an additional seventh person, face an additional two charges related to lifting a cow by a chain and kicking and hitting the animal.
A news release from the SPCA doesn’t give any details on the charges related to the treatment of the pigeon.
– With files from The Canadian Press