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.

Get breaking National news

For news impacting Canada and around the world, sign up for breaking news alerts delivered directly to you when they happen.

Sign up for breaking National newsletter Sign Up

By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy.

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.

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.