Richard Yntema has farmed fallow deer since 1991.

(CHARLOTTE HELSTON / iNFOnews.ca)

When health inspectors arrived at Richard Yntema's Enderby farm, they found pigs roaming around in a pit full of slaughterhouse waste.

"The pit contained rotting hides and animal bones, a cow head and other abattoir waste," federal Crown prosecutor Joshua Cramer told a Salmon Arm court Oct. 23. "The floor of the pit was scattered with slaughter remains of animals in various states of decomposition."

Now, almost 15 years after Yntema was first prosecuted for his farming practices, the authorities are taking steps to close the abattoir down.

Yntema owns Valley Wide Meats and runs an abattoir, as well as having chickens and raising about 40 wild boar.

Yntema's recent court appearance comes after he was charged in 2022 with eight counts, ranging from feeding carcasses to livestock to misleading inspectors.

Technically, Yntema pleaded guilty to three charges, although the federal Crown took the time to read the events that led up to all eight charges to the court.

What ordinarily takes a prosecutor 10 to 15 minutes took Cramer close to an hour as he gave a play-by-play account of Yntema's farming infractions and his involvement with the authorities.

The court heard multiple stories about how Yntema had failed to store waste from his slaughterhouse correctly with inspectors finding bins of carcasses lying around.

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Following one visit, the inspector became concerned that Yntema could be feeding waste to the boars on his property.

On another visit, when inspectors arrived they found Yntema driving his tractor with the bucket full of slaughter waste. They also found a well-used trail going from the waste to the boar enclosure.

Inside the pen, a boar was found with a bone in its mouth.

"There was also a dead boar on the ground," Cramer told the court. "There were approximately 50 cattle hides, skulls, bones... strewn on the ground, with evidence of wildlife scavenging throughout the pile."

Neighbours complained that birds were dropping animal parts on their land.

Yntema had a 75 foot long pit, that was eight feet deep and full of slaughter waste.

"There were lots of boar tracks leading towards and away from the slaughter waste pile," Cramer said.

Yntema told the authorities he was growing grain to feed the boars and giving them chicken feed, but records showed he didn’t have enough feed to keep both his chickens and the pigs alive.

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The court heard some gruesome stories about the parts of slaughtered animals that were found around the farm.

"You can see a cow head floating in water," Cramer said explaining a photograph to the judge. "The lower jaw of that head has been removed."

The court heard how the farmer also misled inspectors.

At one point he lied saying he hadn't slaughtered any pigs in 2022, when in fact he had.

"The offences were broadly intentional acts, some with a degree of, at the very least, extreme recklessness. He deliberately provided the boars with access to slaughter waste from his abattoir, dumping animal carcasses within the boar enclosure," Cramer told the court. "He knowingly obstructed efforts of the inspectors to access information important to the regulation of animal health and a safe food supply."

Cramer reiterated that the laws regarding farm animals are there to protect the public and trace animals as they move through the supply chain and to manage infectious diseases and food safety issues. Mad cow disease and African swine fever were a major concern.

"The inability to trace animals could have a significant impact on the domestic and international pork market, causing financial losses to Canadian businesses in the sector," he said.

With a history of ignoring the regulations and lying to inspectors, Cramer said Yntema should spend six months behind bars.

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However, he said a plea deal had been made whereby Yntema pleaded guilty to three of the charges and his slaughterhouse would be permanently shut down.

The Crown lawyer said Yntema, who didn't hire a lawyer and represented himself, had emailed him saying he didn't want to go to prison.

While the deal means Yntema admits guilt, he still took issue with some of what Cramer said.

"There's a lot of statements that are not accurate," Yntema said.

The farmer said he'd been trying to find a place to take the slaughter waste for years but there wasn't anywhere available.

Cramer disagreed pointing out that a local company could do it, although it appeared Yntema had issues with the company.

The court also heard a lengthy history of the farmer's infractions dating back to 2010 and the $20,000 worth of fines he's yet to pay.

While Yntema interrupted Cramer on several occasions, the judge said he would have his turn to speak.

However, as the court ran out of time, Yntema will now have to wait until late December for the matter to be concluded.

Read more stories about Richard Yntema here.

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