Earlier today Brad Genereux, a former worker at Chilliwack
Cattle Sales—the largest dairy factory farm in Canada—was sentenced to 45 days
in jail for abusing animals. His sentence also prohibits him from having large
animals in his custody or care for 18 months.
Shockingly, the court made an exception to the terms of
Genereux’s probation to permit him to work at Cederwal Farms, a dairy in
Abbotsford, British Columbia, where his job duties are believed to include the
custody of cows. This striking exemption puts animals in harm’s way. A 2014 Mercy
For Animals undercover investigation at Chilliwack Cattle Sales shows Genereux viciously
beating cows with canes; jabbing a cow in the face with a metal rake; punching
a cow in her sensitive, engorged udder; ripping hair out of a cow’s tail; and
attaching milking equipment to the testicles of three bulls.
See for yourself:
Genereux’s employment at Cederwal Farms belittles today’s
convictions for egregious and malicious animal cruelty and shows the low regard
Cederwal Farms has for animal welfare.
After reviewing MFA’s investigative footage, Canadian prosecutors
charged seven factory farm workers, the facility owner, and the factory farm itself
with violating the British Columbia Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act. After
pleading guilty, Chilliwack Cattle Sales workers were sentenced to a combined 227
days in jail and 5,502 days of prohibition from custody or care of large
animals. Fines for the workers and the factory farm total nearly $360,000.
These sentences mark the
first time in Canadian history that former factory farm workers have been
sentenced to jail for malicious animal abuse exposed through an undercover
investigation by an animal protection organization. Last December, Chilliwack
Cattle Sales and its owner Wesley Kooyman were convicted of animal cruelty and
ordered to pay fines, marking yet another historic
victory for animals.
The cruelty exposed through MFA’s Chilliwack Cattle Sales
investigation prompted British Columbia’s agricultural minister, Norm Letnick,
to amend the BC Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act to incorporate the Dairy
Code of Practice. MFA is calling on all provinces to incorporate the Dairy Code
of Practice into their animal cruelty legislation. Giving the Dairy Code of
Practice the force of law will require the dairy industry to follow basic
minimum standards for animal welfare.
Criminal accountability and legislative change are not the
only ways to help cows at dairy farms. You can act today to protect cows and
all animals from needless suffering and violence by choosing a healthy and
humane vegan diet. Visit ChooseVeg.com
for ideas on how to go dairy-free!