The owners of a hog barn in central Manitoba could be facing jail time if they are found guilty of allowing pigs to starve to death.
The provincial government filed 23 charges this week against Martin and Delores Grenier of Notre Dame de Lourdes under the Manitoba Animal Care Act.
The charges fall into three main categories, said chief veterinary officer Wayne Lees.
“One is under the act itself, things like failing to provide adequate water, food and shelter,” he said.
The second category of charges involves keeping livestock in facilities under disrepair, where the pigs were likely to be injured.
Under the third category, the province is accusing the Greniers of failing to abide by recommended codes of practice for the care and handling of farm animals.
Manitoba Agriculture employees and RCMP officers were called out to the Greniers’ farm in June after concerned neighbours notified the authorities.
They found hundreds of dead and starving pigs inside the hog barn, which led to the subsequent investigation and criminal charges.
“In rough figures … several hundred animals had to be euthanized,” Lees said.
“There were hundreds of carcasses or parts of carcasses. And approximately 2,000 animals were removed alive from the barn.”
The Manitoba government amended its Animal Care Act in September and doubled the fines for violations of the act. However, each charge against the Greniers carries a maximum fine of $5,000 and a maximum of six months in jail because the incident occurred in June.
Lees didn’t know if the Greniers are still farming or are in the livestock business. However, the hog barn that housed the dead and dying animals burned down days after the case made headlines in June.
The Greniers court date is scheduled for the middle of December.
