Good news for northern Ontario goat quarantined for 4 years

For most people pets are considered part of their family, so Sherry Milford was shocked in 2014 when she got a call from the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) saying her goat Sunshine was going to be killed.

Milford is the co-operator of Piebird Farm Sanctuary and Vegan Farmstay in Nipissing, near North Bay, which took in the male goat.

"Like all dairy industries the males are throwaways, so as a farm sanctuary we do our best to provide homes for such farm animals," she said.

"The friends we live with here, they're all by-products of the meat dairy and egg industry."

Millford said the CFIA contacted the sanctuary out of the blue and informed them that Sunshine came from an infected farm and might have a disease they were trying to eradicate.

"We didn't realize exactly what they were asking us and when they said they needed to test him, we asked how and they said they'd have to kill him to find out if he's healthy. Which clearly is ridiculous and we said we couldn't support that."

The sanctuary reached out to an animal justice lawyer, but Sunshine and the other goats on the farm were placed under quarantine.

For thenext four years, Millford said they were subjected to regular inspections and were forced to microchip several other goats. They were told there was no chance the quarantine would be lifted until Sunshine died and could be tested.

'Our ethic stood out'

That's when the sanctuary decided to take action.

They created a petition, wrote to politicians and the Prime Minister and even explored a claim under the Charter of Rights and Freedoms.

Finally, they received word that the quarantine would be lifted and the CFIA conducted its final inspection at the end of April.

"Something worked and our ethic stood out I guess, and it finally got lifted," Millford said.

She added that the experience has taught her a lot about their ethics as vegans and what it means to be an activist something she hopes to continue to be vocal about.

In the meantime, Millford said she's looking forward to enjoying the spring weather with Sunshine and the other animals at the sanctuary.

"It's just so nice because everyone can just relax and the goats are all laying down in the sun."