Animal Abuse: Hundreds of dead hogs found, 1000's neglected - Winnipeg, MB

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Case ID: 16782

Classification: Neglect / Abandonment

Animal: pig

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Case #16782 Rating: 3.5 out of 5

Hundreds of dead hogs found, 1000's neglected
Winnipeg, MB (CA)

Incident Date: Saturday, May 15, 2010

Disposition: Convicted
Case Images: 1 files available

Defendants/Suspects:
» Martin Grenier
» Dolores Donna Grenier

Case Updates: 6 update(s) available

A total of 23 charges have been laid against a pair of hog barn operators in a case of alleged animal cruelty the province's chief vet says is the most extensive he's seen.

The charges laid under the province's Animal Care Act and regulations involve a Notre Dame de Lourdes couple who ran a hog barn that burned down June 23, shortly after police launched an investigation in the operation.

Court documents name Martin Albert Joseph Grenier and Dolores Donna Grenier of the R.M. of Lorne as co-accused in the case.

More than 2,000 hogs were found at the barn after an RCMP investigation June 18. Roughly 400 of the animals were dead or dying, while another 160 were later destroyed.

The hogs were owned by a nearby Hutterite colony, which alerted the RCMP after colony members were denied access to the animals.

The barn went up in flames less than a week later, a blaze described as suspicious by a spokesman for the Office of the Fire Commissioner.

Charges laid this week include failure to provide adequate food and water to roughly 2,000 pigs, failing to provide adequate medical attention to hundreds of wounded or ill animals, and confining more than 2,400 animals in a space with inadequate ventilation, according to court documents.

The couple also stands accused of inflicting "serious injury or harm" on 10 pigs, the documents state, and failing to consult a vet on the death of more than 200 animals.

Other charges relate to the condition of the facility, with court documents pointing to a slatted floor "broken in a way to allow the pigs to fall through the floor and drown," or become trapped and unable to get free.

The charges date between May 15 and June 18 of this year.

"This is an extremely unusual case," said chief veterinary officer Dr. Wayne Lees. "The vast majority of producers take great pride in their animals, and fully abide by the codes of practice and animal welfare standards."

Lees wouldn't discuss details of the investigation, but said the case is more extensive than any he's seen before.

"I've never come across one that involved this many animals in my career," he said.

The couple is set to appear in court in December.

The offences occurred prior to recently proclaimed amendments to the Animal Care Act, meaning maximum penalties are up to six months in prison or up to $5,000 per charge, rather than the steeper, up to $10,000 figure now in place for a first offence.

An investigation into the case by Crystal City RCMP is "still active and ongoing," said RCMP spokesman Const. Mile Hiebert.

Case Updates

A Manitoba hog farmer has been banned for life from owning or caring for livestock after pleading guilty to one of the province's worst-ever cases of animal cruelty.

Martin Grenier, a 39-year-old farmer from Notre Dame de Lourdes, received the sentence, along with a $60,000 fine, in a Winnipeg courtroom Friday morning.

Grenier did not speak in court and literally ran from media when he was approached outside the courthouse following his hearing.

The lifetime livestock ban is the first use of the new maximum penalty that was included when Manitoba's Animal Care Act was amended a couple of years ago.

The old maximum was a five-year ban.

"When one talks of maximums it is often reserved for the worst-case scenario. It's hard to imagine a case worse than the one before us today," Judge Kelly Moar said during Friday's sentencing. "A message needs to be sent to producers that they must follow the rules."

Moar said the carcasses of some hogs in Grenier's barn were so badly decomposed officials couldn't even accurately determine how many had died.

"He put the hogs in the barn, locked the door and let nature decide who was to survive," Moar said.

Identical charges were stayed against Grenier's wife, Donna Grenier, on the undertaking she would be banned from owning or possessing pigs for five years.

Barn caught fire

RCMP and Manitoba Agriculture officials raided the couple's Notre Dame de Lourdes area feeder barn in June 2010 and found hundreds of dead pigs and 2,200 more living in filth with no food, water or light.

A few days after the raid, the barn caught fire and burned to the ground.

The mammoth fine was jointly recommended by the Crown and defence and is double the next largest fine ever paid under the Animal Care Act.

"The situation that arose here was disastrous," said Crown attorney Sean Brennan. "It's beyond anything we have seen."

Manure gas poisoning

Court heard hundreds of pigs died from manure gas poisoning resulting from inadequate ventilation. Grenier did nothing to address the problem, leaving the carcasses to be fed upon by other starving pigs. Vet staff also found the remains of hundreds of pigs that fell through a broken slatted floor and drowned in sewage.

Grenier accepted 2,200 new pigs from the Plainview Colony Farms at the same time he was allowing hundreds of others to die. Vet staff later euthanized approximately 400 of the animals.

"The situation only came to light because (Plainview Colony Farms) demanded access to the animals and were denied," Brennan said.

Grenier was battling a severe bout of depression aggravated by other farm stresses and could not even leave his house, said defence lawyer Mike Radcliffe.

"He was incapable of functioning and this was the result," Radcliffe said.

Source: winnipegsun.com - Jun 3, 2011
Update posted on Jun 3, 2011 - 11:16PM

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A Manitoba pig farmer has agreed to pay $60,000 in fines for what justice officials are calling one of the worst cases of animal cruelty the province has ever seen.

Martin Grenier, 39, pleaded guilty Thursday to more than a dozen Animal Care Act charges, including failing to provide adequate food and water to livestock, failing to provide adequate medical attention and failing to consult a veterinarian.

Identical charges were stayed against Grenier's wife, Donna Grenier, on the undertaking she would be banned from owning or possessing pigs for five years.

RCMP and Manitoba Agriculture officials raided the couple's Notre Dame de Lourdes area feeder barn in June 2010 and found hundreds of dead pigs and 2,200 more living in filth with no food, water or light.

A few days after the raid, the barn caught fire and burned to the ground.

The mammoth fine was jointly recommended by the Crown and defence and is double the amount of the next-largest fine ever paid under the Animal Care Act.

"The situation that arose here was disastrous," said Crown attorney Sean Brennan. "It's beyond anything we have seen."

Court heard hundreds of pigs died from manure gas poisoning resulting from inadequate ventilation. Grenier did nothing to address the problem, leaving the carcasses to be fed upon by other starving pigs. Vet staff also found the remains of hundreds of pigs that fell through a broken slatted floor and drowned in sewage.

Grenier accepted 2,200 new pigs from the Plainview Colony Farms at the same time he was allowing hundreds of others to die. Vet staff later euthanized approximately 400 of the animals.

"The situation only came to light because (Plainview Colony Farms) demanded access to the animals and were denied," Brennan said.

Grenier was battling a severe bout of depression aggravated by other farm stresses and could not even leave his house, said defence lawyer Mike Radcliffe.

"He was incapable of functioning and this was the result," Radcliffe said.

Brennan urged Judge Kelly Moar to prohibit Grenier from owning or possessing livestock for life. Radcliffe recommended a prohibition of five years.

Moar will render his decision Friday morning.

Source: torontosun.com - Jun 3, 2011
Update posted on Jun 3, 2011 - 8:58AM

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The owners of a Notre Dame de Lourdes area hog barn were back in a Winnipeg courtroom on Feb. 3.

Martin and Dolores Grenier are facing charges of animal cruelty stemming from investigations by the Office of the Chief Veterianian Officer and the RCMP.

The Greniers' lawyer Michael Radcliffe said the legal process is a long one.

"It will be a long time before this is resolved," he said.

Remanded Until March

Radcliffe added the case has been remanded until early March and it could be several weeks or a few months after that before the Greniers enter a plea.

In June authorities discovered several hundred hogs out of 2,400 in a barn owned by the Greniers were dead and many more hogs were in very poor health. Most of the animals were owned by the Elkhorn-area Plainview Hutterite Colony.

Last fall the Notre Dame couple were charged with 23 offences under provincial animal care legislation. Each of the charges carry a maximum penalty of a $10,000 fine, six months in jail or both.

And then prior to Christmas six charges under the Criminal Code of Canada were laid against Martin Grenier. These are also in connection to animal cruelty and come with fines of up to $10,000, and/or jail time ranging between six to 18 months.

Source: carmanvalleyleader.com - Feb 5, 2011
Update posted on Feb 5, 2011 - 12:54PM

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The Notre Dame-area farmer involved in a severe case of animal neglect has been charged with six offences under the Criminal Code of Canada.

Martin Grenier faces charges related to willfully causing unnecessary suffering and failing to provide adequate food, water, lighting, ventilation and flooring for animals in his custody.

Grenier, along with Delores Grenier, is also facing 23 charges under the Animal Care Act. Those charges were filed in early November.

On June 18th, representatives from the province's Office of the Chief Veterinarian and RCMP raided the farm and discovered hundreds of deceased hogs in various states of decomposition. The barn was damaged by fire a few days later.

Grenier will appear in Provincial Court in Winnipeg on January 20th.

The offences are as follow:

* COUNT 1 - On or about June 18, 2010, in the Rural Municipality of Lorne, in the Province of Manitoba, did willfully cause unnecessary pain or suffering or injury to 178 pigs, more or less, to wit: by failing to provide adequate food, water and shelter and did thereby commit an offence contrary to section 445.1(1)(a) of the Criminal Code of Canada.
* COUNT 2 - That Martin Albert Joseph Grenier, on or about June 18, 2010 in the Rural Municipality of Lorne, in the Province of Manitoba, did willfully cause unnecessary pain or suffering to one pig trapped in a sorting gate contrary to section 445.1(1)(a) of the Criminal Code of Canada
* COUNT 3 - That Martin Albert Joseph Grenier, on or about June 18, 2010, in the Rural Municipality of Lorne, in the Province of Manitoba being the person having custody or control of a domestic animal to wit pigs did willfully neglect or fail to provide adequate food and water for such pigs contrary to section 446(1)(b) of the Criminal Code of Canada
* COUNT 4 - That Martin Albert Joseph Grenier on or about June 18, 2010 in the Rural Municipality of Lorne, in the Province of Manitoba being the person having custody or control of a domestic animal to wit pigs did willfully neglect or fail to provide adequate shelter and care for said pigs to wit: by failing to provide adequate lighting contrary to section 446(1)(b) of the Criminal Code of Canada
* COUNT 5 - That Martin Albert Joseph Grenier on or about June 18, 2010 in the Rural Municipality of Lorne, in the Province of Manitoba being the person having custody or control of a domestic animal to wit pigs did willfully neglect or fail to provide adequate shelter and care for said pigs to wit: by failing to provide adequate ventilation for said pigs contrary to section 446(1)(b) of the Criminal Code of Canada
* COUNT 6 - That Martin Albert Joseph Grenier, on or about June 18, 2010, in the Rural Municipality of Lorne, in the Province of Manitoba, being the person having custody or control of a domestic animal to wit pigs did willfully neglect or fail to provide adequate shelter and care to said pigs to wit: failing to provide adequate flooring for said pigs contrary to section 446(1)(b) of the Criminal Code of Canada.

Source: portageonline.com - Dec 21, 2010
Update posted on Dec 27, 2010 - 11:42AM

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There is a new twist regarding a Notre Dame de Lourdes-area hog barn at the center of over 20 charges pertaining to animal cruelty.

A spokesperson for the Plainview Hutterite Colony said the colony is dropping its lawsuit against the barn's owners Martin and Delores Grenier.

The spokesperson, who asked not to be indentified, told the Valley Leader of the move.

"Now that [the Greniers] are being charged hopefully our insurance company will try to do something for us," the spokesperson of the Elkhorn-area colony said.

On June 18 Manitou RCMP, while acting on a complaint, entered the Grenier's hog barn located southwest of Notre Dame. Of the well over 2,000 hogs in the barn about 500 were dead with many more of the animals in very poor condition. The Office of the Chief Veterinarian Officer was called in and an investigation was launched.

Five days after the discovery the barn burned down and a second investigation was started, this one by the Office of the Fire Commissioner. Damages were estimated to be $1.5 million.

At the time a spokesperson for the Chief Veterinary Officer said the part of their investigation inside the barn was completed before for the fire.

More recently the Fire Commissioner's office said the findings of its investigation have been turned over the RCMP.

The initial investigation resulted in 23 charges being laid against the Greniers, including:

• Failing to provide an adequate source of food and water

• Inflicting serious harm or injury upon an animal

• Confinement without adequate ventilation

• Not providing adequate medical attention

• Keeping or confining an animal in a facility in a state of disrepair likely to injure the animal

• Failing to provide eight hours of light per day

• Failing to maintain the ventilation, water delivery, and food delivery systems

• Failing to consult a veterinarian when experiencing high mortality.

Then earlier this month the Winnipeg Sun reported the Greniers were being sued by the hogs' owners - the Plainview Hutterite Colony. The suit included the market loss of 2,209 animals, plus costs regarding feed, the barn clean up, moving the remaining hogs, euthanizing those in poor health and the disposal of the dead animals.

Calling it "a heck of a loss," the colony spokesperson indicated the amount of the lawsuit was at least $400,000 and more if all the associated costs were to be factored in.

The Greniers are scheduled to appear in court Dec. 16 on the animal cruelty charges.

Each of the charges carries maximum penalties of a $10,000 fine and/or six months in jail.

Source: carmanvalleyleader.com - Dec 10, 2010
Update posted on Dec 10, 2010 - 6:04PM

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Provincial veterinary officials have laid 23 charges against a southern Manitoba hog farmer whose property was raided -- then subsequently burned down -- last June in connection with what may be the largest animal cruelty case ever prosecuted in Manitoba.

QMI Agency has learned Martin Grenier, a hog farmer from the Notre Dame de Lourdes area, was charged just days ago under the provincial Animal Care Act with nearly two dozen offences including failing to provide food, water and medical attention to pigs and confining animals in unacceptable conditions.

Dolores Grenier is named as a co-accused in all 23 charges.

All charges relate to offences allegedly committed between May 15 and June 18 of this year. Each charge carries a maximum penalty of a $10,000 fine, six months in jail or both.

A first court appearance has been scheduled for Dec. 16.

Back on June 18, RCMP officers and staff from Manitoba Agriculture were called to Grenier's farm, where they found hundreds of dead hogs decomposing inside a barn and about 2,000 more alive, albeit in various states of health.

There were about 2,400 pigs in the barn. Between 300 and 500 were already dead by the time they were discovered. Provincial staff moved the live pigs to another facility for veterinary assessments and care, but several had to be put down due to poor health.

Then, only a few days later, Grenier's barn caught fire and burned to the ground.

The fire is still under investigation, said Const. Miles Hiebert, a spokesman with Manitoba RCMP.

Hiebert said officers are still "actively investigating" both the fire and the potential for criminal charges to be laid in relation to the dead and neglected hogs.

The hogs in question belonged to a Hutterite colony who had entrusted their care to Grenier.

The grisly discovery inside the barn came as a surprise to neighbours, who described the family at the time as well-respected.

In June, a source said the case is likely the largest animal cruelty investigation in Manitoba history.

Source: cnews.canoe.ca - Nov 4, 2010
Update posted on Nov 6, 2010 - 8:43AM

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Hundreds of dead hogs found, 1000's neglectedWinnipeg, MB (CA)

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Hundreds of dead hogs found, 1000's neglected
Winnipeg, MB (CA)