Pig farmer tells court safety behind complaint

BURLINGTON, ONT. • The trial of a woman who gave water to slaughter-housebound pigs heard Wednesday from the owner of the animals who said he complained to police because he was concerned about the safety of the pigs and the animal activists.

Anita Krajnc, an activist with the group Toronto Pig Save, was charged with mischief over an incident in June, 2015, in which she dumped water inside a tractor trailer carrying pigs to a slaughterhouse in Burlington, Ont. She has pleaded not guilty.

The pigs’ owner, farmer Eric Van Boekel, testified he complained to police because he was worried there were contaminants in the water, and that could lead to the slaughterhouse rejecting his hogs.

Van Boekel added he was worried about the animal activists. “One of my biggest fears … is one of the protesters has their arm in the slat, and the driver pulls away, they’ll get (dragged) under the truck,” he said.

Before court, activists from Toronto Pig Save People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals held a peaceful rally. They carried signs with slogans calling for people to stop eating meat. Others wore shirts advocating for veganism.

Krajnc said outside court that she did nothing wrong, and that she continues to give the pigs water to this day.

Earlier, the trial heard from Jeffrey Veldjesgraaf, driver of the tractor trailer transporting the pigs to the slaughterhouse when the incident happened.

Veldjesgraaf testified that it wasn’t unusual for Krajnc and other animal rights activists to give the pigs water, and the slaughterhouse has never turned away the animals because of it.