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Lifetime ban on keeping livestock for Manitoba hog farmer

Thursday, June 09, 2011

Last week Martin Grenier, a Manitoba hog farmer, was banned for life from owning or caring for livestock after pleading guilty to charges stemming from one of the province’s (and perhaps Canada’s) worst cases of animal cruelty in recent history.

RCMP and Manitoba Agriculture officials had raided Grenier’s barn in June 2010 and found hundreds of dead pigs and 2,200 more living knee-deep in filth and sewage. The pigs had been locked in the barn and left without any food, water or care for two weeks. Officials determined that causes of death included manure gas poisoning from inadequate ventilation, while some pigs fell through a broken floor and drowned in sewage. In all, 1,200 pigs died or had to be euthanized because they were found in such bad shape.

In addition to the life-long ban on keeping livestock, the sentence also included a $60,000 fine to be paid over five years. The sentence marks a significant achievement for animal protection law in Manitoba, as this is the first use of the new maximum penalty under Manitoba’s Animal Care Act since it was amended in 2009. The previous maximum sentence was a five-year ban on owning and caring for animals.

This case also represents the first time that an animal abuser has been charged and convicted under sections of a provincial animal protection act that are based on Canada’s “codes of practice” for farm animal care. These codes describe basic minimum standards for the humane treatment of livestock agreed upon by a council of industry, veterinarian, government, and animal welfare representatives. Some provinces, such as Manitoba, have included reference to the codes in their animal protection law, giving them the force of law in those provinces.

Thirteen of the 23 charges laid against Grenier were based on his violations of the hog industry code of practice, including failing to provide pigs with eight hours of light per day, failing to maintain the ventilation and watering systems and failing to consult a vet about elevated mortality rates. Convictions for these code of practice violations resulted in a higher fine for Grenier than he would have otherwise received.

The Canadian Federation of Humane Societies (CFHS) is encouraged to see that this case was handled seriously by law enforcement officials and the courts, and particularly that the sentence includes a lifetime ban on owning or caring for animals. Temporary bans on animal ownership of a few years are more commonly given as sentences in animal abuse cases. Given the number of animals involved and the extreme suffering they endured, we believe that the maximum sentence of a lifetime ban is clearly appropriate in this case. We hope this ruling will act as a deterrent for future animal cruelty.