Warner Transport of Thedford has lost its appeal of a $13,000 fine by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency in connection with a load of hogs it delivered to Conestoga Meats of Breslau.
Ten of the 270 market hogs that Warner Transport were either dead or euthanized on arrival.
Despite a spirited defence by William Warner, co-owner of the company, the Canada Agricultural Review Tribunal confirmed the fine.
Warner explained that the density guidelines do not reflect the lean body condition of the hogs now being raised and transported in Canada.
Since the 2001 publication of the Transport Code, hogs have been
bred to have more muscle mass, which is denser than fat.
Therefore, hogs today are leaner at a given weight than they were when the guidelines were created. Warner testified that their lean body condition means market hogs take up less space and correspondingly have more space available to them in the trailer despite being of
equivalent weight.
There was testimony that the Berdix trailer used in this shipment has a ventilation system that is different from pot-bellied trailers and hogs are less likely to seek warmth by crowding away from side openings.
"Although there is some logic to Warner Transport’s arguments," tribunal member Patricia Farnesse wrote “I am not persuaded that the loading density guidelines in the Transport Code should be set aside in this case.”
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency website reveals that several livestock and poultry trucking companies have been fined $9,000 and
$10,000 each this year.
