No charges will be laid in connection with the deaths last month of 194 cattle in a feedlot near Ponoka, Alta.
SPCA investigators said the apparent cause of death was a change in feed rations and feeding times after the feedlot was taken over by a financial institution.
Deloitte & Touche, acting on behalf of CIBC, placed the feedlot owned by the Bonnett family in receivership.
The closing of the American border to Canadian cattle almost two years ago, after the discovery of BSE in Alberta, dealt a serious blow to the feedlot, which specialized in feeding older cattle. Older cattle are especially affected because it is generally thought that BSE does not appear in cattle younger than 30 months.
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The feedlot lost $12 to $15 million almost immediately when older cattle became almost worthless overnight. The feedlot owed about $38 million when the receiver took over.
SPCA investigators and the province’s crown prosecutor looked at events leading up to the takeover of the feedlot by a financial institution and the subsequent problems that resulted in the deaths of the animals.
SPCA officials said the investigation could be reopened if more evidence becomes available before the expiry of the limitation period this July.
