• Menu
  • Skip to right header navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Before Header

The agricultural news source in British Columbia since 1915
  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Twitter

Country Life In BC Logo

The agricultural news source in British Columbia since 1915

  • Headlines
  • Calendar
  • Subscribe
  • Archives
  • Advertise
  • Contact
  • Search
  • Headlines
  • Calendar
  • Subscribe
  • Archives
  • Advertise
  • Contact
  • Search

Primary Sidebar

Originally published:

February 2017
Vol. 103 Issue 2

Subscribe Now!

Sign up for free weekly FARM NEWS UPDATES

Select list(s) to subscribe to


By submitting this form, you are consenting to receive marketing emails from: Country Life in BC, 36 Dale Road, Enderby, BC, V0E1V4. You can revoke your consent to receive emails at any time by using the SafeUnsubscribe® link, found at the bottom of every email. Emails are serviced by Constant Contact
Your information will not be
shared or sold ever

Stories In This Edition

Chilliwack dairy fined for allowing “culture of abuse”

Well licensing deadline extended

Collaborative effort on dairy safety

Dairy vs eggs in OYF competition

Walking the talk

Richmond exempts agri-tourism from rental ban

Chilliwack farm sales surged in fall 2016

Changes on tap for Sunshine Coast brewer

Ag Brief: Carrots to cattle conference puts focus on profits

Ag Brief: CFIA seeks input on transport of livestock

Ag Brief: Beirnes joins Summerland Varieties Corp

Ag Brief: BC Tree Fruits picks CEO

Chicken growers ready to battle over pricing

Operating at a loss for a good cause: MMP

Residence “farming-chick”

Milk board ups dairy quota

Quota subject to new tax rules

Succession isn’t easy

Million dollar winners

GMO resolution fueling debate in Bulkley Valley

Sidebar: RDBN ag committee turns one

FarmFolk CityFolk to protect farmland

Lower than normal snowpack

Fruit plant gets $1 million load

Big picture, big change

Non-browning apples ready to test market

Council steps up fight against invasive knotweed

Island Pastures Beef seeks expansion to meet demand

Slaughterhouse rules: not so tricky

Keeping it sustainable: Springford Farm

Sidebar: Free range and responsible

Sustainable agriculture takes lead from nature

Soil probes dig into water management issues

Sparkling wines shine in diverse BC regions

Changing direction: Langley

Sustainable Ag Tour

Canada celebrates ag day

Knockout punch eludes researchers in wireworm battle

Wireworm victory needs more than silver bullet

Canada’s Mediterranean living up to its name

BC welcomes new scientists

Good things come in small packages: Lowlines

New Societies Act will impact BC farm groups

Blessed are the cheesemakers

More Headlines
Comments Box SVG iconsUsed for the like, share, comment, and reaction icons

Vancouver council has rejected a bid to subdivide some of its only land within the Agricultural Land Reserve. The 8-acre site at 7520 Balaclava Street is home to an unused horse paddock and the former Celtic Shipyards. Vancouver council chose not to forward the application to the Agricultural Land Commission because subdivision would create lots that were too small at a site with multiple environmental and geotechnical issues. The cultural significance of the site to the Musqueam First Nation was also a consideration. ... See MoreSee Less

3 days ago

Vancouver council has rejected a bid to subdivide some of its only land within the Agricultural Land Reserve. The 8-acre site at 7520 Balaclava Street is home to an unused horse paddock and the former Celtic Shipyards. Vancouver council chose not to forward the application to the Agricultural Land Commission because subdivision would create lots that were too small at a site with multiple environmental and geotechnical issues. The cultural significance of the site to the Musqueam First Nation was also a consideration.
View Comments
  • Likes: 8
  • Shares: 2
  • Comments: 1

Comment on Facebook

Let’s hope someone with an Ag vision buys the property..

Seasonal workers continue to benefit from BC’s acclaimed publicly funded quarantine program, which covers the cost of meals and accommodations for incoming foreign workers during their mandatory self-isolation period. To date this year, 14 incoming workers have tested positive for COVID-19, with nine remaining in isolation and five cleared to work on BC farms. "Through this program, we have been able to help preserve our province’s food supply by ensuring local food continues to be grown and harvested throughout the pandemic,” the BC Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Fisheries told Country Life in BC. "The program is regarded as best practice by other jurisdictions and the province is continuing with the self-isolation program for 2021 without significant changes." Subscribe to Country Life in BC at buff.ly/2ReiFur ... See MoreSee Less

5 days ago

Seasonal workers continue to benefit from BC’s acclaimed publicly funded quarantine program, which covers the cost of meals and accommodations for incoming foreign workers during their mandatory self-isolation period. To date this year, 14 incoming workers have tested positive for COVID-19, with nine remaining in isolation and five cleared to work on BC farms. Through this program, we have been able to help preserve our province’s food supply by ensuring local food continues to be grown and harvested throughout the pandemic,” the BC Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Fisheries told Country Life in BC. The program is regarded as best practice by other jurisdictions and the province is continuing with the self-isolation program for 2021 without significant changes. Subscribe to Country Life in BC at buff.ly/2ReiFur
View Comments
  • Likes: 4
  • Shares: 0
  • Comments: 0

Comment on Facebook

Federal agriculture minister Marie-Claude Bibeau has awarded $6 million to Vancouver-based Enterra Feed Corp. through the federal AgriInnovate program to develop a full-scale commercial facility north of Calgary for the production of insect-based feed ingredients. The new facility handles more than 130 tonnes of food waste per day and feeds it to the larvae of black soldier flies. The larvae are harvested and processed for use in feed products for poultry, pets and wild birds. The first of its kind in Canada, the facility ships products across North America as well as to the EU. Country Life in BC is the agricultural new source for BC's farmers and ranchers. ... See MoreSee Less

6 days ago

Federal agriculture minister Marie-Claude Bibeau has awarded $6 million to Vancouver-based Enterra Feed Corp. through the federal AgriInnovate program to develop a full-scale commercial facility north of Calgary for the production of insect-based feed ingredients. The new facility handles more than 130 tonnes of food waste per day and feeds it to the larvae of black soldier flies. The larvae are harvested and processed for use in feed products for poultry, pets and wild birds. The first of its kind in Canada, the facility ships products across North America as well as to the EU. Country Life in BC is the agricultural new source for BCs farmers and ranchers.
View Comments
  • Likes: 25
  • Shares: 9
  • Comments: 1

Comment on Facebook

Cammy Lockwood, great news for Enterra

CP Rail’s plans for a new logistics facility on 100 acres of farmland in Pitt Meadows is facing opposition from neighbours, who question the impact of the project on their community and local agriculture. Close to 100 residents questioned CP representatives in an online open house this week but received few definitive answers. The project is exempt from Agricultural Land Commission and local government approval. Results of a survey that closes today will be made public in March, with mitigation measures of the project provided this summer. Construction could begin in 2026 if federal authorities approve. Country Life in BC is the agricultural news source for BC's farmers and ranchers. buff.ly/2ReiFur ... See MoreSee Less

1 week ago

CP Rail’s plans for a new logistics facility on 100 acres of farmland in Pitt Meadows is facing opposition from neighbours, who question the impact of the project on their community and local agriculture. Close to 100 residents questioned CP representatives in an online open house this week but received few definitive answers. The project is exempt from Agricultural Land Commission and local government approval. Results of a survey that closes today will be made public in March, with mitigation measures of the project provided this summer. Construction could begin in 2026 if federal authorities approve. Country Life in BC is the agricultural news source for BCs farmers and ranchers. buff.ly/2ReiFur
View Comments
  • Likes: 1
  • Shares: 0
  • Comments: 1

Comment on Facebook

www.facebook.com/groups/247315310159788/?ref=share

The BC Ministry of Agriculture has announced a new round of funding this week to support more community projects aimed at protecting the health and habitat of bees. The Bee BC program provides up to $5,000 to fund smaller-scale, community-based projects enhancing bee health throughout the province. Since launching in 2018, Bee BC has contributed almost $280,000 to 62 projects. The last round of 24 approved projects projects ranged from providing education in communities to planting bee-specific forage to using innovation and technology to help protect and ensure bee health in BC. The program is administered by the Investment Agriculture Foundation. Check out the program guide for more information: buff.ly/3bCMzSW ... See MoreSee Less

1 week ago

The BC Ministry of Agriculture has announced a new round of funding this week to support more community projects aimed at protecting the health and habitat of bees. The Bee BC program provides up to $5,000 to fund smaller-scale, community-based projects enhancing bee health throughout the province. Since launching in 2018, Bee BC has contributed almost $280,000 to 62 projects. The last round of 24 approved projects projects ranged from providing education in communities to planting bee-specific forage to using innovation and technology to help protect and ensure bee health in BC. The program is administered by the Investment Agriculture Foundation. Check out the program guide for more information: https://buff.ly/3bCMzSW
View Comments
  • Likes: 4
  • Shares: 4
  • Comments: 0

Comment on Facebook

Subscribe | Advertise

Chilliwack dairy fined for allowing “culture of abuse”

February 1, 2017 byPeter Mitham

CHILLIWACK – The first installments towards $345,000 in fines and surcharges levied in a headline-grabbing case of animal abuse on a Fraser Valley dairy farm were paid last month, with the dairy farmers at the case’s heart pledging to ensure the situation never repeats itself.

BC Provincial Court judge Robert Gunnell accepted the guilty pleas of Chilliwack Cattle Sales Ltd. president Ken Kooyman and his brother, Wesley, a company director directly responsible for the 2,800-head herd at the time workers were filmed abusing cattle by a member of the activist group Mercy for Animals in 2014.

In return, he sentenced the men to paying fines of $75,000 for each of the four counts with which they were charged – the maximum possible.

Wesley Kooyman was sentenced to pay $75,000, plus a victim surcharge of $11,250. Chilliwack Cattle Sales, in the person of Ken Kooyman, was fined a total of $225,000, plus a victim surcharge of $33,750.

In addition, Wesley Kooyman is prohibited from serving as a director or officer of Chilliwack Cattle Sales or caring for the farm’s cattle, save feeding them with supervision, for one year.

Gunnell told the court that he wanted to send a very clear message to the public that the abuse of animals was reprehensible and simply not acceptable.

The fines reinforced the “shame, embarrassment and public condemnation” the family had suffered since the matter became public, which he believed were sufficient to prevent a repeat of the situation.

“From what I have heard, I expect specific deterrence is not an issue here,” he said.

Not responsible

However, Gunnell acknowledged that the Kooymans were not actively responsible for the abuse.

It wasn’t because of what they did that the animals suffered but what they neglected to do – specifically, ensure proper training of employees and enforce the standards set out in the guide book developed for farm employees.

“This business did not properly train and supervise their employees,” Gunnell said. “They had no real system checks set up so that the safety of the animals was ensured and they failed to follow through on their own guide book that was available and that we know at least one employee was never given a copy of.”

The result, according to Crown counsel Jim MacAulay, was “a culture abuse” – one that the family has repeatedly denied knowing about since the first revelations of how workers were treating their animals.

Chilliwack Cattle Sales has since improved hiring and training procedures, noting in a statement that it’s hired a full-time human resource manager “to ensure a consistent and methodical approach to hiring, training, supervising and evaluating staff.”

All farm workers, both family and employees, now receive specialized training in handling dairy cattle.

Surveillance equipment was also installed to ensure that workers are supervised at all times. Video cameras can be checked remotely, even from a smartphone.

“In addition, we have set a goal to have a family member or senior manager monitor every shift to ensure employees are acting in accordance with industry codes of practice,” said Wesley Kooyman in a statement released to media following the sentencing.

“On behalf of the Kooyman family, I accept the judgment of the court and we vow to do everything we can to prevent anything like this from happening again,” he said.

More court appearances

December’s fines aren’t the end of the saga, however.

Seven employees charged with abusing the Kooymans’ animals – Brad Genereux, Travis Keefer, Cody Larson, Jonathan Talbot, Chris Vandyke, Jamie Visser and Lloyd Blackwell – will appear in court this spring.

Three of the men – Visser, VanDyke and Keefer – are expected to plead guilty in April. A 12-day trial for the remaining four will begin May 29 and tentatively wrap up June 15.

Related Posts

You may be interested in these posts from the same category.

Trial decision expected

Hog farm won’t face charges

Johnston’s Packers targeted by activists

Protest sends warning signal

Cattle

Codes of practice need producer input

Animal cruelty charges laid

New farmers need to research livestock needs

Body cams are out

Poultry abuse underscores need to measure up

Previous Post: « Help wanted
Next Post: Richmond exempts agri-tourism from rental ban »

Reader Interactions

Footer

Country Life in BC

36 Dale Road, Enderby, BC, Canada V0E 1V4

  • 604-328-3814
  • office@countrylifeinbc.com

Copyright © 2021 Country Life in BC · All Rights Reserved