Illegal exports | The accused are charged with intentionally exporting cattle that were older than trade rules allowed
Several cattle dealers and a veterinarian from western Manitoba are scheduled to appear in a provincial courthouse in early March facing charges of falsifying records and illegally exporting cattle to the United States.
A vet from Neepawa, Man., along with representatives of P. Quintaine and Son, J. Quintaine and Son of Brandon and Mowat Livestock Ltd. and D.A.M. Cattle Buyers of Neepawa, are expected to appear in a Neepawa court March 6 on charges that they violated the federal Health of Animals Act.
The charges arose from a Canadian Food Inspection Agency investigation in 2008-09 into cattle exported from Manitoba to the U.S. The CFIA claims the accused intentionally shipped animals born before March 1, 1999, into the U.S., breaking export restrictions put in place for older animals after BSE was discovered in Canada in 2003.
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A CFIA spokesperson said based on its investigation, the Public Prosecution Service of Canada approved charges that relate to the inaccurate recording of the ages of cattle exported or destined for export to the United States.
The charges include:
- Dr. Fawcett George Taylor has been charged with refusing or neglecting to perform a duty imposed upon him under Section 34 of the Health of Animals Act. The performance of this duty relates to duties carried out by an accredited CFIA veterinarian.
- Dr. Taylor, Mowat Livestock Ltd., D.A.M. Cattle Buyers Ltd., Douglas Adam Mowat and Donna Michelle Mowat have been charged with exporting cattle that did not meet the import requirements of the United States in contravention of subsection 69(1)(b) of the Health of Animals Regulations.
- J. Quintaine & Son Ltd., P. Quintaine & Son Ltd. and James Harold Quintaine have been charged with exporting a number of cattle that did not meet the import requirements of the United States in contravention of subsection 69(1)(b) of the Health of Animals Regulations.
In December 2010, Manitoba veterinarian Earl Van Assen pleaded guilty to violating section 65 of the Health of Animals Act.
In a news release, the CFIA stated Van Assen issued 33 veterinary health certificates for the export of cattle to the U.S. but failed to ensure the age of the animals were accurate.
The judge in the case, John Guy, issued Van Assen a $10,000 fine.
