Fraser Valley dairy farm has licence suspended after allegations of animal abuse

A dairy farm in the Fraser Valley has had its licence suspended by the B.C. Milk Marketing Board after allegations of animal abuse were raised by the B.C. SPCA.

Cedar Valley Farms, which is located in Abbotsford, B.C., had 400 cows producing milk as of Dec. 2018. Their website has subsequently been taken down.

According to a release from B.C. Milk on Wednesday, after allegations of abuse were raised by the SPCA, the farm's licence was immediately suspended following an inspection.

The Ministry of Agriculture and the board are now ensuring 24-hour supervision of the animals pending further investigation.

"This is not a regular occurrence on British Columbia dairy farms," said Holger Schwichtenberg, board chairman of the B.C. Dairy Association. 

"As a dairy farmer, I find these allegations very concerning and we're taking them very, very seriously."

Schwichtenberg says supply to customers is unlikely to be affected, given only one farm had its licence suspended in the region.

SPCA asks for third-party auditing system

According to the SPCA, the farm was treating its animals in contravention of the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act and "potentially" the Criminal Code of Canada.

"Last week we received video footage that appears to be depicting very serious instances of animal abuse on this farm," said Marcie Moriarty, the SPCA's chief prevention and enforcement officer, in a statement.

"We immediately attended the farm on an unannounced visit and are reviewing more than 300 video clips as we prepare our case to present to Crown counsel."

The SPCA says they conduct more than 9,000 investigations into suspected animal cruelty each year, but do not have the resources to audit B.C.'s 5,000 commercial farms.

It is asking the provincial government and commercial farms to implement a third-party auditing system, including the use of video monitoring.

"I am shocked and extremely disappointed at the information that has been relayed to me about alleged actions at this farm," said agriculture minister Lana Popham in a statement.

"B.C. ranchers and livestock producers take great pride in the care they provide their animals and in their role as stewards of the land. I believe the vast majority are meeting the standards in the code."

Cedar Valley Farms did not respond to CBC when reached for comment.