Jeff Kooyman, owner of the 3,500-head Chilliwack Cattle
Sales company where an underground video exposed horrific animal abuse, said “it’s
horrifying to watch” and against everything he wants at the farm.
He said he has zero tolerance for animal abuse and
immediately fired eight employees seen punching, kicking and beating cows with
sticks.
Wally Smith, head of the British Columbia milk marketing
board, also condemned the animal abuse, saying he was disgusted by what the
video shows.
Mercy for Animals gave the video to CBC television. The
Humane Society International and British Columbia Society for the Prevention of
Cruelty to Animals both are calling for the eight employees to be charged with
criminal offences.
Kooyman said he’s going to install video cameras to monitor
staff and is asking the B.C. Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals
to help train his staff.
Dave Taylor, chairman of the B.C. Dairy Association,
called the incident a black mark on the industry.
"Having witnessed the footage, we are deeply
shaken," Taylor said. "Organizationally, we will be taking proactive
steps to further our already strong animal care practices."
