Sofina Foods and a company that provides it chicken catching services both have been fined CA$300,000 (US$235,000) and received three years of probation after earlier pleading guilty to charges of causing undue suffering to animals.
According to the initial charges, Sofina Foods, chicken catching company Elite Farm Services (EFS), and EFS president Dwayne Dueck were responsible for unlawfully beating the chickens and loading or unloading them in a way likely to cause injury or undue suffering. Those charges are considered violations of Canada’s Health of Animals Regulations.
The charges against the defendants were filed after a volunteer with animal rights group Mercy For Animals obtained employment as a chicken catcher in 2017, and filmed a video depicting poultry mistreatment, which included workers tossing, kicking, dropping and tormenting birds, reported CBC.
Mercy For Animals hailed the latest court action involving the case.
“Elite Farm Services’ and Sofina Foods' guilty pleas represent progress for farmed animals,” Leah Garcés, president of Mercy For Animals, said in a statement. “Companies and their owners are responsible for the animals in their care, and they should be held accountable when animals are mistreated. While Mercy For Animals of course does not know which factors ultimately contributed to these companies' decision to plead to those counts, we are pleased that the video evidence gathered by a Mercy For Animals whistleblower — which was deemed admissible by the court — likely contributed to their decision. Companies like Elite Farm Services and Sofina Foods are responsible for the living conditions of millions of chickens."
Sofina Foods, headquartered in Markham, Ontario, was given six months to pay its fine, while Elite Farms, headquartered in Chilliwack, British Columbia, has 10 years in which to pay.
Dueck apologized for the employees’ misconduct and for the company's lack of supervision, and agreed to ensure the company complies with the probation order.
Sofina Foods is active in both the broiler and turkey industries. The company operates several subsidiaries involved in meat production, including poultry businesses Cuddy Food Products, Lilydale and Janes Family Foods.
