2


DEADLY attack on dairy calf they were going.”


arrow, then stabbing it to complete the job before putting it in a high-end SUV and speeding away. “We don’t have a ‘why,’” says Anderson. “We can only speculate. There’s been many suggestions. You think about every option, and none of it makes sense.”


Langley RCMP media


relations officer Holly Largy says police don’t have a lot to go on. Video footage doesn’t give a good view of the suspects, nor does it show the vehicle’s licence plates. The force’s livestock investigator for BC, Cpl. Cory Lepine, has visited the farm but leads are few. “The only outstanding


investigative avenue is DNA. And we won't hear back from the lab for quite some time,” Largy says.


The situation is considered


a theft rather than a case of animal cruelty, not withstanding the suffering the calf experienced, so the BC SPCA are not investigating. (BC SPCA did not respond to repeated requests for comment.) Largy says the incident appears to be an isolated case and RCMP have not issued a warning to other farms. Anderson believes Eagle Acres’ high profile may have made it a target.


“I suppose it made us vulnerable that we are well- known and have had a lot of people through,” she says. “The person was definitely familiar with the barn and the layout. … There was no hesitation. They knew where


But thousands of other people visit the farm each year without incident. She says the farm has to trust the people who come to visit, educating them about what they do rather than treating them like potential criminals. This being said, Eagle Acres will be upgrading its security systems to reflect the recent experience. “We will be installing new cameras at specific spots that we feel are more relevant, and we are going to be putting in a gating system,” she says. “Not a gate, but a beam that goes across the driveway so we’re alerted anytime a vehicle drives in or a human passes it.” Publicizing the incident is also important, because it lets the perpetrators know the community is on the lookout for them, and it also makes others aware of the need to be vigilant. “It might deter them from coming back and doing it a second time, or going to another place, because now everyone’s on high alert,” she says.


Be vigilant BC Dairy Association


spokesperson Christine Terpsma says the industry looks forward to the outcome of the police investigation. In the meantime, the association encourages producers “to be vigilant and to uphold security protocols.” “If you see anything suspicious, phone law enforcement immediately and request assistance,” she says.


COUNTRY LIFE IN BC • SEPTEMBER 2019 nfrom page 1 The incident in Langley


follows the invasion of Excelsior Hog Farm in Abbotsford earlier this year by animal rights activists following the release by People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) of footage allegedly showing dire conditions at the farm. A crowd of more than 150 people moved onto the property early on April 28, occupying the farm’s state-of- the-art barn. Police responded, removing the protestors and arresting one activist. An Abbotsford police investigation into the incident, and an earlier break-and-enter that saw surveillance cameras placed on the property, remains ongoing. “We have concerns with


activists walking onto farms and entering into buildings. That’s very, very disturbing,” says Jack DeWit, president of the BC Pork Producers Association. Excelsior didn’t have


surveillance cameras of its own in place this spring, making it difficult to figure out who placed the undercover cameras. The invasion, however, was live-streamed on Facebook. To address security gaps among its 14 members, the pork association has made funds available for upgrades to protect animals from interlopers and the potential introduction of diseases such as African Swine Flu. “Security is becoming more


and more important, and we’ve actually allocated some funding for the farmers to install cameras on their driveways and barn doors,” says DeWit. “Whatever they need to wrap up everything up to make it a little bit more


secure.” The activists, meanwhile,


have continued their campaign. A group represented by


Amy Soranno, the activist ordered to appear before court following the April invasion, posted a new video online in August purporting to be shot at Excelsior. The footage was made


available to BC SPCA, which told the Vancouver Sun that it was investigating the matter. However, BC SPCA did not respond to repeated requests from Country Life in BC for comment on this matter either. Shawn Eccles, senior manager, cruelty investigations, with the BC SPCA, previously told Country Life in BC that it had no grounds to press charges. It had been unable to verify the authenticity of videos provided, and on visiting Excelsior had found the farm treating its animals well. “We utilized the code of


practice for hog farming, and have determined at this point that we will not be proceeding with any charges against Excelsior Hog Farm,” he said at the time. PETA responded to the decision not to press charges by taking out ads on BC Transit buses in Abbotsford urging people not to eat pork. “PETA’s ads will circle


Abbotsford to remind everyone that the best way to prevent abuse like this is to keep pigs and all other animals off our plates,” said PETA executive vice-president Tracy Reiman in a statement from her office in Los Angeles. “The whole thing is


alarming. It’s not fair to the family,” says DeWit of the campaign against the farm.


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“It’s just a constant reminder, and they have not been charged with anything, and there’s no reason to charge them.” PETA did not organize the


invasion of Excelsior, focusing its efforts instead on Johnston Packers Ltd. in Chilliwack. Johnston’s processes hogs from Excelsior, and its computer systems were subject to denial of service attacks. PETA said it would cease and desist only once the BC pork industry was shut down. No charges were laid in the cyberattack, as the originating server is outside of Canada and beyond the jurisdiction and capabilities of the RCMP.


This frustrates DeWit, who


says laws need to be upheld or farmers – who have been patient to date – may take matters into their own hands. Anderson, for her part, is


lying low. The family is taking a month off from tours until mid-September. While the hiatus had been in the works for a while, after two years spent re-establishing the farm at its location in Fort Langley, it became all the more important after the calf was killed. “We need a break, and the


kids need a break,” Anderson says.


EU nfrom pg 1


manager of the BC Fruit Growers Association, says the sudden nature of the change is unprecedented in his experience. Cherry growers are most at risk, as BC exports virtually no apples or pears to the EU. Fortunately, trading


partners including China and Japan require that cherry growers monitor their crops for key pests. This could position growers well to meet the new requirements. “We’ve already got some trapping programs in place, so if we need to provide those results to the EU, that can be done,” says Bal. “We’re hoping it’s not a protocol that’s too much of a burden on Canadian growers.”


BC ships a small amount of blueberries to the EU, says Anju Gill, executive director of the BC Blueberry Council. However, she expects any EU concerns will be resolved in the context of Canada’s established trading relationships with the bloc. “We’re monitoring the situation closely,” she says. “We remain optimistic and build on the existing trade relations.”


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