Largest chicken slaughter plant, killing about 500,000 chickens daily, including meat chickens and "spent" laying hens. The company has a long history of transport violations
With a long history of violations under the Health of Animals legislation, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency took Maple Lodge Farms to court for 2 of the 60 outstanding violations.
Where: Ontario Supreme Court in Brampton
When: Sept 2011 to May 2013. Sentenced in March 2014
Key themes: Excessive numbers of chickens suffered and died from exposure during transport. The company increasingly focused on economics and neglected animal welfare.
Guilty on the 2 charges tried in court plus 18 additional charges to which the company pleaded guilty.
Sentence: 3-years probation, fines, spending at least $1 million to modify trailers, facilities, and policies, and publishing on-going DOA statistics on the corporate website.