The BC SPCA said it received video footage last week that appeared to represent “very serious” cases of animal abuse at the Fraser Valley farm.
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A Chilliwack dairy farm’s license was withdrawn following an investigation into allegations of animal cruelty by the BC SPCA.
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On Thursday, the BC Milk Marketing Board said it had suspended the dairy license for Cedar Valley Farms pending further investigation after receiving information from the SPCA and conducting an inspection of the farm.
The SPCA said it received video footage last week that appeared to represent “very serious” cases of animal abuse at the Fraser Valley farm.
“Some of the videos are quite disturbing,” said SPCA spokeswoman Lorie Chortyk, adding that the images shown in more than 300 clips appear to represent violations of the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, as well as possible violations of the Penal Code.
The SPCA has paid a surprise visit to the farm and is reviewing the clips while preparing a case recommending charges to the Crown attorney.
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“We are definitely going to recommend charges, but what we would like to see are some longer-term programs that will be put in place to make sure these situations don’t happen again,” said Chortyk.
The SPCA wants industry and government to provide greater accountability for animal welfare on commercial farms, including surveillance cameras that could be monitored by a third party.
Chortyk said the donor-funded SPCA conducts about 9,000 investigations a year, but with 40 agents it does not have the resources to monitor the roughly 5,000 commercial farms in BC.
“It is the responsibility of the government and the industry to make sure they have a more proactive third party audit system to make sure these violations are not occurring,” he said.
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The BC Milk Marketing Board said it is working with the agriculture, food and fisheries ministry to ensure oversight of animal care on the farm. He said dairy farms are expected to adhere to the Code of Practice for the Care and Handling of Dairy Cattle.
“We cannot overstate how important it is that all farms are held to a high standard for the management of the animals in their care,” he said in a statement.
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Reference-vancouversun.com