February 27, 2025, Ottawa
Richard John Yntema pled guilty and was convicted of three counts of contravening the Health of Animals Act and Regulations, in Salmon Arm Provincial Court in British Columbia (BC), on December 23, 2024.
Richard John Yntema was sentenced to a 12-month conditional sentence order (CSO) which will be followed by a 24-month probation order, with conditions. The conditions include but are not limited to:
- Richard John Yntema must immediately cease operations of his abattoir and cannot own, operate, or participate in the operations of any other abattoir for the duration of these orders.
- If Mr. Yntema chooses to rent out his abattoir he must provide the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) with a copy of the rental agreement which must include acceptable provisions outlined by the court
- All slaughter waste on the property must be removed within six months of sentencing.
- Any wild boar or other swine on the property were to be removed within seven days of sentencing, and Richard John Yntema must not possess any swine, including wild boar.
Richard John Yntema pled guilty to and was convicted of the following charges:
- one contravention of section 6.5(1) of the Health of Animals Regulations which stipulates unless there is a permit issued under section 160, no person shall feed to any animal material in any form whether or not incorporated into another thing that is derived from specified risk material
- one contravention of section 112 of the Health of Animals Regulations which stipulates that no person shall feed meat, meat by-products or food that is suspected to contain meat or meat by-products to swine or poultry, or permit swine or poultry to have access to the meat or by-products.
- one contravention of section 35(1) of the Health of Animals Act for obstructing or hindering an inspector.
The Crown stayed all other charges after the conclusion of sentencing for the offences with guilty pleas.
The CFIA is responsible for the administration and enforcement of federal legislation, including the Health of Animals Act and Regulations. The CFIA is dedicated to safeguarding food, animal, and plant health, which enhance the health and well-being of Canada's people, environment, and economy.