January 11, 2025

On January 6, 2025 members of Canadian Horse Defence Coalition attended the Bouvry Exports Calgary Ltd. trial in Fort Macleod, Alberta.

Court began at 10:00 a.m. so we were prepared to spend the day and perhaps the next since the trial was scheduled for two weeks. However, it was over in less than an hour because Bouvry had pleaded guilty to the first charge and the others were withdrawn.

The first charge basically has to do with paperwork and equine identification. The defense council explained to the court that it was just an oversight that Bouvry Exports hadnโ€™t stamped some paperwork and to take into account that this was a first offence.

All the charges related to cruelty and neglect of the horses were withdrawn. The Judge accepted the guilty plea and imposed a fine of $17,000.

Speaking to the Crown Prosecutor after the trial, he explained that it was an agreement they had come to and they couldnโ€™t give any more information at this time.

๐—•๐—ฎ๐—ฐ๐—ธ๐—ด๐—ฟ๐—ผ๐˜‚๐—ป๐—ฑ

The twelve charges had been laid by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) resulting from July 2021 incidents of Bouvry Exports that were in contravention of sections of the Safe Food for Canadians Act and regulations and the Health of Animals Act and regulations including:

  • 1 alleged contravention of section 129 of the Safe Food for Canadians Regulations for failing to handle a food animal in a manner that does not cause it avoidable suffering, injury or death
  • 1 alleged contravention of section 130(1) of the Safe Food for Canadians Regulations which requires that a licence holder must assess whether a food animal is showing signs of suffering or injury on its arrival at the establishment
  • 1 alleged contravention of section 130(4) of the Safe Food for Canadians Regulations which requires that if a food animal is showing signs of suffering, the licence holder must immediately alleviate its suffering, humanely kill it or slaughter it in accordance with the regulations

Two charges were laid under section 65(1) of the Health of Animals Act for alleged contraventions of subsections 140(1)(c) and 140(1)(d) of the Health of Animals Regulations which establish requirements for the humane handling and transportation of a compromised animal.

To read the governmentโ€™s notification of charges laid, go to:

https://inspection.canada.ca/en/about-cfia/transparency/regulatory-transparency-and-openness/compliance-and-enforcement/notification-charges-laid/2023-07-1