Four-week trial begins for Abbotsford, B.C. hog farm protesters

A trial is underway for three animal rights activists accused of breaking into an Abbotsford pig farm in 2019.

Amy Soranno, Roy Sasano and Nick Schafer are facing a combined 14 charges, including break-and-enter and criminal mischief, in what is scheduled to be a four-week jury trial.

“Us going through this for four weeks, it pales in comparison to what those animals endure every single day inside farms just like Excelsior,” Soranno told Global News outside the B.C. Supreme Court in Abbotsford on Monday.

2:17 Hundreds of animal rights activists descend on Abbotsford hog farm

“This is nothing. We’re grateful for the opportunity to share their stories and talk about the millions of animals who suffer inside these facilities every single day.”

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Abbotsford police were the first to testify Monday, describing arriving at the farm to find a group of protesters inside the barn on Apr. 28, 2019, who refused to leave unless media was allowed to tour the facility. The owner agreed to the tour.

The trio is alleged to have been among a group of some 200 protesters who occupied a barn at Excelsior Hog Farms, after People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) released a video allegedly showing improper treatment of the pigs inside.

1:49 Disturbing images captured at Abbotsford pig farm

In the video, pigs can be seen crammed into pens, while some are sickly and covered with tumours or lying apparently dead on the ground.

The B.C. SPCA investigated the farm but did not recommend charges against its operators, saying it was unable to verify the video, which lacked timestamps or geographic indicators.

At the time, farm co-owner Ray Binnendyk said he believed some of the photos were staged, and that Excelsior was one of the first farms in B.C. that allowed pigs to leave their pens on their own and walk around freely.

“We believe they were staged because some of those pictures couldn’t have been from our farm. We’re not sure,” he said.

The activists are also critical of the Abbotsford Police Department and BC SPCA for their handling of the investigation.

“We hope that as our trial continues the improper actions of the Abbotsford police and BC SPCA will be exposed,” Soranno said.

“We will show systemic biases against animals and activists.”

– with files from Global News’ Grace Ke