Chilliwack
Cattle Sales Ltd. has been fined $258,700 and one of its directors, Wesley
Kooyman, $86,250 by a British Columbia judge handling animal welfare charges
against the dairy farm.
Kooyman has
been banned for a year from owning or working alone with dairy cattle; he can if he is
under supervision.
The farm is
Canada’s largest dairy, working with a rotary milking system.
The judge, who
viewed video evidence of cattle being beaten, said he found it "deeply
disturbing, very callous" abuse of cattle, and imposed maximum fines.
Kooyman pleaded
guilty to one charge and his company to three charges. Staff face additional
charges and are scheduled for trial in May.
Provincial
court Judge Robert Gunnell accepted a joint submission from the defence and
Crown to fine the company and Kooyman the maximum amounts.
"The
defendants did not properly supervise or train their employees, and as a result
these animals suffered significant abuse," said Gunnell.
"I expect
the impact on the company and the family will be financially significant. I
believe it sends a significant sign to others."
Twenty charges
were originally laid against the company and seven of its employees following
an undercover video investigation by Mercy for Animals, an animal-advocacy
organization.
The Society for
the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals said it was the first time a B.C. company
has been held accountable for acts of cruelty on a farm.
The remaining
charges against Chilliwack Cattle Sales and its directors will be stayed, the
court heard.
