Montreal man charged after homemade trailer spills cattle on Highway 401

A Montreal man is facing charges under the Highway Traffic Act after a homemade trailer he was using to transport cattle broke apart on Highway 401 near Kingston, Ont., on Friday, spilling the animals onto the road and causing two tractor-trailers to collide.

Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) said the 25-year-old was behind the wheel of a small crossover-type vehicle, towing eight dairy calves when the homemade trailer failed around 7 a.m. near Joyceville Road.

"The trailer was not sufficient to haul a load of cattle and broke apart," OPP said Monday in a news release.

The calves spilled onto the roadway and incurred injuries requiring veterinary attention, OPP said. Police told CBC the animals suffered minor injuries and are expected to make a full recovery.

As other westbound vehicles attempted to avoid the traffic hazard, two tractor-trailers were involved ina secondary collision, OPP said. They highway was closed or reduced for about five hours as a result of the incident.

An inspector from the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) helped police remove the cattle from the roadway. The agencyhas seized the animals and is investigating the incident, OPP said.

The driver of the vehicle has been charged under the Highway Traffic Act with operating an unsafe vehicle, failing to surrender his licence and pulling a trailer with no plate. He's scheduled to appear in court in Kingston on Dec. 9.

The animals were being transported from Montreal to St. Catharines, Ont., OPP said.

In an email to CBC, the CFIAsaid it's responsible for regulating the humane transport of animals andconfirmed it's investigating the incident.