Saputo drops Chilliwack Cattle Sales milk over cow abuse video

Saputo, producer of Dairyland dairy products, says it is no longer accepting milk from Chilliwack Cattle Sales, a B.C. farm where eight employees were caught on video beating cattle.

The move comes afterMercy for Animals Canadareleased undercover video last week,showing dairy cows being whipped and beaten withchains andcanes, as well as punched andkicked, at Canada's largest dairy farm.

It alsoshowed cowssuffering from open wounds and injuries, andbeinglifted by their neckswith chains and tractors and prompted 100,000 people to signa change.org petitioncalling for Saputo to take action.

• WARNING, GRAPHIC CONTENT: See undercover video
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• ChilliwackCattle Sales to fire 8 workers caught on tape abusing cows

In a statement releasedMonday, Saputo saidit is leading the charge for reform in animal treatment.

"Since Saputo learned of the animal abuse at the farm in BritishColumbia from which horrific images of cattle mistreatment werecaptured, the company has used its position as Canada's largest milk processor to ensure the situation is being addressed and that suchreprehensible behaviour . . . does not occur in the future," said the statement.

The Montreal-based company said it has reached out to theprovince's minister of agriculture as well as the B.C. Dairy Association, the B.C. Dairy Council and the B.C. Farm IndustryReview Board.

"Saputo has taken the lead in bringing industry stakeholderstogether behind a common goal: to ensure immediate consequences forthose involved and enforceable legal measures to prevent futureanimal abuse," it said.

It said it also supports the recommendation of the B.C. Societyfor the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals that the Canadian Code ofPractice for the Care and Handling of Dairy Cattle, published in2009, be adopted into B.C. law.

In the wake of the video,the B.C. Milk Marketing Boardsuspended milk pickupfrom the B.C. farm, butreinstated it a day laterfollowing a report from veterinarians and assurances fromChilliwackCattle Sales it was complying with B.C. SPCA orders.

In announcing its action, Saputo noted that it does not own oroperate any dairy farms in British Columbia or anywhere else inCanada and, like all dairy processors in Canada, is required by lawto purchase milk from provincial milk marketing boards.

"While we do not own the farms, we care deeply about the way themilk we sell is produced. We will not accept milk from the B.C. MilkMarketing Board supplied by this farm until we are fully satisfiedthat strict animal welfare practices are in place," it said.

SPCA still investigating

Chilliwack Cattlefired eight employees after the group Mercy forAnimals Canada took the video to authorities.

The SPCA hasrecommended criminal charges against them but to date no chargeshave been laid and nothing has been proven in court.

The farm's owner, Jeff Kooyman, has described the video as"horrifying to watch" and said he didn't know what got into theyoung men seen kicking, punching and beating the animals with pipes.

Kooyman has said the dairy operation the country's largest,with more than 3,500 animals will put in security cameras thatwill be monitored and would work with the SPCA on better trainingfor staff.

In a statement Monday, Kooyman invited representatives from Saputo to visit the farm in person.

"We would like to extend an open invitation to Saputo to come and view the farm and level of animal care for themselves,"saidKooyman. "This is a family farm started in the 1950s and we care deeply for our animals. We would love the opportunity to show this to Saputo and what measures have been put in place to ensure animal welfare."

Mercy for Animals has said the company failed to provide adequate training or respond to the concerns raised by its undercover member before the video's release.

It rejected claims by farm co-owner Jeff Kooyman that none of the owners knew about the abuse.

B.C. SPCA enforcement officer Marcie Moriarty saidChilliwackCattle Sales has so far been co-operating with its investigation.

In 2008, Chilliwack Cattle Sales was cleared of charges relating to the transport of injured cows.