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On Monday, a 22-page letter from Shawn Buckley, a B.C. lawyer defending sheep owner Montana Jones against criminal charges, was submitted in court asking for an adjournment until the government can provide fuller documentation.

An internal CFIA email is quoted in Mr. Buckley’s letter saying: “The tattoo on the animal indicates it was imported from the USA — may be interesting … since this [is] a male and imported the focus goes to its herd of origin and therefore doesn’t require much on this farm in Canada.”

The sheep on Ms. Jones’ farm was a female and had never been to the U.S., Ms. Jones said.

I can’t comment on it. I’d love to comment on it. I’d love to correct all the errors in that letter

Other documents raise a concern that the sheep’s tissue sample appeared to have been sent for testing wrapped in a bag but arrived in a hard box, suggesting undocumented repackaging.

“I am now faced with what appears to be a deliberate effort by these CFIA employees to gather very relevant evidence and deliberately hide it,” Mr. Buckley’s letter to the court says.

The CFIA did not respond to a request for comment.

Damien Frost, a lawyer acting on the federal government’s behalf in the prosecution of the case, said he could not comment on the specifics of the letter, saying he was going to apply Monday morning to have a publication ban placed on the proceedings.

“I can’t comment on it. I’d love to comment on it. I’d love to correct all the errors in that letter,” he said. He added that once all of the information is known, the picture will be clearer.