LCA EXPOSES SYSTEMIC NEGLECT AND ABUSE AT SUPPLIER TO

CANADA’S LARGEST PORK PRODUCER

A three-month undercover investigation by LCA exposed severe abuse and neglect at Crimson Lane Farms, a pig breeding farm that supplies Olymel, Canada’s largest pork processor. The farm, located in Kenilworth, Ontario, houses approximately 1,600 mother pigs producing 500 piglets per week that are raised by Nature Pork and then slaughtered by Olymel and sold by major retailers across Canada including Walmart, Metro and Real Canadian Superstore.

LCA’s hidden-camera video shows workers striking, shocking and kicking pregnant pigs, leaving sick and injured piglets in piles of dead piglets, and allowing pigs with extreme prolapses — in which their reproductive organs and/or rectum are expelled from their bodies — to suffer for prolonged periods.

LCA’s video reveals the severe cruelty:

• An employee jabbed a sow who had just given birth with his pen, kicked her in her ribs, and then used the sharp edge of a piece of sheet metal to spear her in her back as she cried out in distress.
• Abuses were carried out by management as well. A pregnant sow who was due to give birth in just two days was repeatedly kicked and shocked with an electric prod by the farm manager. Another expectant pig aborted all of her piglets after being shocked by the farm manager.
• Pigs with life-threatening uterine prolapses were kept alive for days to nurse their newborn piglets, or so that their dead bodies wouldn’t decompose too much before a truck came to collect them.
• In the most egregious cases, management kept extremely prolapsed pigs alive to bring them closer to term, and removed their piglets using a procedure referred to as a “slash and grab.” This involved disemboweling the pregnant pig and cutting her piglets from her dying body. According to the farm manager, the sows are purposely kept alive during the procedure – so they’re entirely sensible to pain while their abdominal cavity is cut open and the piglets are removed.

Sickness and Excruciating Death

Inadequate medical treatment and failure to promptly euthanize the gravely ill caused some pigs to slowly deteriorate to death. One sow with a swollen leg and abscessed foot was left untreated in her crate while the condition worsened. She rapidly lost weight, and after four weeks of agony was finally found dead. 

Sick and injured piglets suffered immensely during their short lives. Workers would repeatedly throw piglets against the barn floor as an ineffective euthanasia attempt called “thumping.” Many times, workers failed to check if the piglets were actually dead after slamming them to the ground, so live piglets were tossed into piles of the dead.

Deceiving the Public

Both Olymel and the Retail Council of Canada (The“RCC” – which Walmart, Metro and Real Canadian Superstore all belong to) say they require the humane treatment of animals raised by their suppliers. However, using Crimson Lane Farms in their supply chain is in direct contradiction of these claims.

Olymel’s official policy states, “As a major producer and processor of pork…Olymel requires that its employees and suppliers treat the animals with the greatest respect. From breeding and shipping to slaughtering, our company meets the highest standards of animal welfare and has adopted a consistent policy in this area.”

The RCC alleges to believe that, “…sows should be housed in an environment where their pregnancy, health and well-being are taken into highest consideration.“

Criminal Complaints by LCA

After completing the investigation, LCA submitted complaints to the Ontario Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (OSPCA) and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police detailing over 70 violations of the OSPCA Act and the Criminal Code.  An additional complaint was filed with the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs for violations of the Disposal of Deadstock regulation regarding the handling of fallen animals.