The largest dairy factory farm in Canada was charged with 20 counts of animal cruelty this week, following a Mercy For Animals (MFA) undercover investigation in 2014 that brought to light employees’ brutal abuse of the animals. The five owners and seven employees of Chilliwack Cattle Sales each face up to $75,000 in fines, two years of jail time, and a lifetime ban on owning animals. The investigation revealed several instances of callous—but not totally uncommon among factory farms—mistreatment of animals, including using chains and tractors to hoist animals into the air by the neck, poking and squeezing of untended festering wounds, punching bulls in the testicles, and “molesting a pigeon.” The groundbreaking court decision follows two other high-profile cases brought on by MFA last year against Tyson Foods and Hybrid Turkeys, the world’s largest turkey breeder.

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