Animal welfare agency lays 14 cruelty charges against Ontario mink farm

A mink sniffs the air as he surveys the river beach in search of food, in meadow near the village of Khatenchitsy, 65 kilometers (40 miles) northwest of Minsk, Belarus on September 4, 2015. (THE CANADIAN PRESS/AP, Sergei Grits)

STOUFFVILLE, Ont. -- Ontario's animal welfare agency has laid 14 cruelty charges against an unnamed mink farm.

The Ontario Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals says it began an investigation in February after concerns were expressed about the welfare of the mink on the farm.

The OSPCA says their investigation revealed sick animals with injuries and large lesions, rough handling of animals, unsanitary conditions and a lack of general care.

The agency says it declined to name the farm due to internal policies.

The farm faces five counts of permitting an animal to be in distress, two counts of causing an animal to be in distress, three counts of failing to provide adequate and appropriate medical attention, three counts of failing to provide care necessary for general welfare and one count of failing to provide adequate and appropriate sanitary conditions.

OSPCA deputy chief inspector Jennifer Bluhm says there is no excuse for failing to treat animals humanely.

"No one is exempt from the law when it comes to providing for the animals in their care," she said in a statement.