British Columbia is adopting the
national code for animal welfare for dairy cattle. It comes more than a year
after a Mercy-for-Animals video showed abuse at Chilliwack Cattle Sales, Canada’s
largest dairy farm.
Cattle were beaten with sticks, chains
and rakes, mainly to get them into a rotary milking parlour. Eight employees
were fired, but none has yet been charged.
The owners of Chilliwack Cattle Sales
have agreed to several measures in response to the publicity about abuses.
Operations are now video-taped and employees are trained by the Society for the
Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.
The SPCA has recommended that charges be
laid, but so far the attorney-general’s staff has not laid charges.
The National Dairy Code of Practice
covers shelter, feed and water as well as veterinary care and handling
practices. It prohibits electric prods, hitting, kicking and shouting when
handling cattle.
The code also demands that dairy farms
recognize the companionship needs of cattle, and that their barns need adequate
lighting and non-slip floors.
Agriculture Minister Norm Letnick
announced the adoption of the code at a Cloverdale dairy farm Wednesday. He
said the specific standards will help industry regulators and judges determine
if cruelty to animals has been committed.
Marcie Moriarty, chief prevention and
enforcement officer of the B.C. SPCA, praised the adoption of the new code.
"We can't change the past but we
can change the present and affect the future," Moriarty said.
"Hopefully we won't ever see a repeat of what happened last year."
