A 27-year-old Canadian man has been charged with a number of animal cruelty offences after more than 1,250 pigs were found dead on his farm.
The farm is located near the town of Langton, 190km south of Toronto, in Canada’s Ontario region.
Officers from the Ontario Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) visited the farm on February 17, 2017, after receiving a complaint about the welfare of the pigs on the property.
Upon entering a manure-filled barn in total darkness, the officers discovered dead and dying pigs who had no access to food. The Ontario SPCA officers – along with the assistance of two veterinarians and a representative of Ontario Pork – reportedly moved the surviving animals to a dry, well-lit area of the barn where they could be assessed.
The accused, who now lives in a town almost 70km north of where the farm was located, was scheduled to appear in court on Thursday, June 22.
He was charged with eight counts of animal cruelty under the Ontario SPCA Act.
The 27-year-old was charged with one count of causing distress to an animal, one count of permitting an animal to be in distress and six counts of failing to comply with prescribed standards of care.
Senior Inspector for Farm Animal Welfare at Ontario SPCA, Bonnie Bishop, warned there was no excuse for not providing proper care to animals, and that failure to do so can have serious legal consequences.