Maximum fines for B.C. farm, director after guilty pleas in cattle-abuse case
CHILLIWACK, B.C. — A company that owns a dairy farm in British Columbia’s Fraser Valley will be fined the maximum amount for failing to prevent “deeply disturbing, very callous” abuse of cattle, a judge has ruled.
Chilliwack Cattle Sales Ltd. pleaded guilty on Friday to three counts of causing an animal to continue to be in distress, while one of its directors, Wesley Kooyman, pleaded guilty to one count of the same charge.
Provincial court Judge Robert Gunnell accepted a joint submission from the defence and Crown to fine the company and Kooyman the maximum amount of $75,000 per count plus victim surcharge fees.
The company will have to pay a total of $258,700, while Kooyman has been ordered to pay $86,250.