Lifetime Ban on Owning Livestock!
An Animal Rights Article from All-Creatures.org

FROM

Canadians for the Ethical Treatment of Food Animals (CETFA)
June 3011

[Ed. Note: Watch an animated display of 13,200 Pigs Are Slaughtered Per Hour (in the U.S.) and watch Pigs - Humans Do the "Mating" to see the depths humans will go to "produce" more pigs for people to eat.]

Grenier's lawyer argued for a 5 year ban, but Judge Moar stood fast, stating leniency was not reasonable in such an extreme case and it was important that his decision "sends a message to all pig producers."

On June 3, 2011, nearly one year after Martin Grenier's Notre Dame de Lourdes pig barn was raided by RCMP and the grisly discovery of over 2,700 pigs who were forced to cannibalize one another as food, water and even ventilation was cut off was made, Martin Grenier pled guilty and received a $60,000 fine and lifetime ban on ownership of livestock.

Grenier's lawyer argued for a 5 year ban, but Judge Moar stood fast, stating leniency was not reasonable in such an extreme case and it was important that his decision "sends a message to all pig producers."

Like you, we have mixed feelings about the verdict. The $60,000 fine is disproportionately low given the scale, severity, and duration of the pigs' suffering. But the lifetime ban on livestock ownership is a relief. (This relief is tempered with the knowledge that the Greniers could simply shift the farm into Delores Grenier's name and resume operations, but we can assure you, we'll be keeping tabs on the couple.)

One thing we know for certain is that the pressure leveraged by your letters to the editor, comments on media coverage and personal letters to the Manitoba Ministers of Justice and Agriculture ensured the province gave the case the serious consideration it deserved, and most certainly played a role in the sentencing of a lifetime ban on owning livestock.

While the Grenier case was extreme in scale, the practice of leaving pigs without food, water, medical treatment or even straw to lie on is a common one. This is the fate of many pigs who are too sick, diseased or injured to stand. Producers move these pigs to a "sick" or "suspect" pen and leave them there until they starve to death. Our investigators have found such suffering animals in almost every pig barn we've inspected. Leaving these highly intelligent and sensitive animals to suffer is just as criminal as what Martin Grenier did. It is our hope that today's verdict gives all pig producers cause for thought and encourages them to improve practices in their own operations.

In addition to providing treatment for these sick animals, the Manitoba pig industry could prove their claim of care for their animals by phasing out and banning the use of gestation crates for sows (barren metal crates that confine female pigs for their adult lives in a space so small they cannot turn around). There are 318,000 sows in Manitoba, the vast majority of whom are confined to these tiny, cruel crates. We've joined forces with the Canadian Coalition for Farm Animals and launched a campaign calling for a ban on the unnecessary stalls.

Thank you for standing with us in defending Canada's farm animals.

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