Abbotsford dairy farm license suspended amid SPCA animal abuse investigation

After receiving video footage appearing to depict animal abuse on a dairy farm in Abbotsford, the BC SPCA is calling out the government and industry for a lack of action.

The animal protection group is preparing to take its case against Cedar Valley Farms to Crown Counsel, saying it received more than 300 video clips last week depicting “very serious instances of animal abuse.”

According to Marcie Moriarty, the BC SPCA’s chief prevention and enforcement officer, the agency made an immediate, unannounced visit to the farm after receiving the footage.

“This is a high-priority investigation and we are building a very strong case to present to Crown counsel with a recommendation for charges,” she said Thursday.

As a probe gets underway, the BC Milk Marketing Board has suspended Cedar Valley Farms’ dairy license.

Calling for proactive action

Meanwhile, the SPCA is looking to the province, saying it needs to do more to ensure animal protection.

“The BC SPCA is extremely concerned about the lack of accountability on commercial farms and has reached out repeatedly to the provincial government and industry for more than a year about the need for a third-party auditing system on farms to ensure that proper animal welfare practices are being upheld,” said BC SPCA CEO Craig Daniell.

The group wants to see more proactive action from government, saying that while the SPCA is afforded powers under the PCA Act to drop in on farms, there are too many of them in all of B.C. to inspect without assistance.

“The responsibility to implement a pro-active, third-party assurance system on all commercial farms lies squarely with government and industry and it is absolutely unacceptable that they have not taken action,” added Daniell, who says 40 officers conduct thousands of investigations every year.

“This most recent case highlights the huge gaps in accountability that exist on commercial farms and the need for immediate action,” said Daniell.