Ontario man pleads guilty to animal cruelty in deaths of 1,500 pigs

SIMCOE, Ont. — Ontario’s animal welfare agency says a man has pleaded guilty to animal cruelty in the deaths of more than 1,500 pigs.

The Ontario Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals says Ben Stein, of Tavistock, Ont., pleaded guilty Thursday in Simcoe, Ont., court to permitting an animal to be in distress, failing to provide adequate sanitary conditions, failing to provide adequate ventilation and failing to provide adequate medical attention.

Stein is to appear in court on April 26 for sentencing.

Ontario SPCA officers went to a pig farm in Langton, about 80 kilometres southeast of London, last February after receiving a concern about the welfare of pigs on the property.

Upon entering a flooded, manure-filled barn in total darkness, the officers discovered dead and dying pigs.

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The OSPCA says 1,265 pigs were dead and an additional 250 pigs had to be euthanized on site due to the severe condition in which they were found.

“There is no excuse for not providing the proper care your animals require,” OSPCA senior inspector Bonnie Bishop said Thursday. “There are resources available for those who require assistance to provide care for their animals.”

The Canadian Press