Cattle seized from Quebec farm at the centre of last summer’s fugitive cow ordeal

Quebec’s agriculture department says it has seized 38 cattle from the central Quebec farm that was home to a group of fugitive cows that escaped last summer and went on the run for months.

Yohan Dallaire Boily, a spokesman for the agriculture department, says the cattle were seized from Ferme Clément Lapointe et fils after a recent inspection found the safety and well-being of some of the animals was at risk.

He says the animals will be assessed by a veterinarian and that a report will be submitted to prosecutors, who will determine whether any charges will be laid.

Twenty-four cattle escaped from the farm in Saint-Barnabé, Que., around 130 kilometres northeast of Montreal, in July.

The final members of the herd were not recaptured until January — despite numerous attempts, including one that involved a group of cowboys from a nearby town.

Dallaire Boily says the agriculture department had been conducting frequent inspections since November to ensure that the recaptured animals were being properly treated.