No charges after footage released by PETA of pigs at Abbotsford farm

VANCOUVER (NEWS 1130) – Despite PETA releasing last month what appeared to be footage of sick and dying pigs at a farm in Abbotsford, the case isn’t heading to the courts.

Marcie Moriarty is the Chief Prevention and Enforcement Officer with the BC SPCA and says there is a key piece missing in order to be able to proceed.

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“What unfortunately didn’t end up happening is the individual who took, or allegedly filmed the video has not come forward, and that individual is essential to the case,” Moriarty said. “Specifically, we would need to be able to establish when that video was taken, the time duration that it was taken at and a number of different aspects that would be key to prove any of the legal elements that would support the recommendation of charges.”

At the time, BC Pork said it had sent a veterinarian to check on the farm to ensure standards of care were being met. It noted it was also concerned that the video was lacking context, and that the person behind the camera would have been trespassing.

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Last April, the person believed to have shot the footage spoke to NEWS 1130 on condition of anonymity and said that the conditions were so bad, it would be worth getting in trouble for.

The footage was shot sometime between mid-February and mid-March.