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Cohen said that while none of the men had a criminal record and no evidence was presented to suggest they caused physical injuries to the cattle, the examples of cruelty displayed in the video were “both numerous and significant,” while the violence was gratuitous. In particular, the judge pointed to two scenes, one in which employees placed a chain around a cow’s neck and then used a tractor to lift the animal, and another where they used a chain to whip a fallen cow.

Several supporters cried as the men were asked to stand to hear their sentences before being handcuffed and led away.

Outside court, defence lawyer Craig Sicotte said his clients were not happy about receiving jail time.

“The judge didn’t have any prior cases, really, to give him a lot of guidance on something like this, so he put a lot of thought into it, and he gave a sentence that obviously my three clients aren’t thrilled with — they had to go to jail,” he said. “At the end of the day, this will set the tone for a lot of sentences like this.”

People have said “horrible” things to the men online, Sicotte added. “Anonymous people on the Internet say all kinds of ugly things.”

Mercy for Animals Canada vice-president Krista Hiddema said the sentence was a “historic victory” for her group. She said the dairy industry should not be allowed to govern itself, and an outside party should be responsible for making sure the dairy code of practice is followed on farms.

Hiddema said the public should expect more Mercy for Animals investigations in the future.

In December, Chilliwack Cattle Sales was fined $300,000 after president Kenneth Kooyman pleaded guilty to three charges of animal cruelty on behalf of the farm itself and his brother Wesley, a company director, pleaded guilty to one charge personally.

Four other former farm employees are also facing animal cruelty charges. They are expected in court on May 29.

gluymes@postmedia.com

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Photo by Handout / Mercy for Animals Canada