The dairy industry will watch closely to see what implications there could be if a Chilliwack cattle farm is convicted of animal abuse.
Charges were laid yesterday against some workers and the company, Chilliwack Cattle Sales, a year and a half after footage was released showing cows being hit with chains, whips and sticks.
“At the time, within the industry itself, there was a great deal of outrage frankly. Both provincially and nationally. What was contained in that video it’s very contrary to acceptable animal care standards and it caused a lot of concern within the industry,” explains Trevor Hargreaves with the BC Dairy Association.
He says a lot of changes have already been made within the industry.
“That was a very dark time for the industry and it was a very dark time for the community for that to happen right within the boundaries of a local dairy farm. So it’s something that they followed very closely and everybody is wanting a lot of detail in terms of where it’s going and what’s going to happen next.”
Hargreaves says there are a lot of steps that have been taken to strengthen animal care protocols but animal care has always been a primary concern for the industry.
Source: News 1130
