CHILLIWACK, B.C. - Twenty counts of animal cruelty have been laid against a dairy farm and seven of its employees in British Columbia's Fraser Valley.
The SPCA says 16 of the counts are related to cruelty against cows and four concern treatment of a pigeon.
The agency says the case represents the first time a B.C. company has been charged with animal cruelty on a farm.
The SPCA says it received an undercover video in June 2014 showing dairy cows being beaten with chains, canes and rakes.
SPCA spokeswoman Marcy Moriarty says the video also shows cows being kicked and punched after they were trapped and could not escape the abuse.
She says six employees are each charged with causing distress to an animal and failing to care for and protect an animal under the Protection of Cruelty to Animals Act.
Three of the workers, along with an additional seventh person, face an additional two charges related to lifting a cow by a chain and kicking and hitting the animal.
A news release from the SPCA doesn't give any details on the charges related to the treatment of the pigeon.
