By Connor Lynch
WYOMING — A Lambton County farmer and a trucking company were each slapped with a $2,500 fine after the trucking company that was unlicensed to haul deadstock removed thousands of dead hogs from the farm.
A Jan. 31 barn fire left Wyoming-area farmer Mike Huybers with 4,000 dead hogs, an estimated $3 million in damages and a temporary case of animal activists. A small group of placard-waving activists showed up but didn’t last long. People driving past offered the middle finger and one driver threw hot dogs at them.
Huybers got in touch with OMAFRA, and was told he had to hire a licensed deadstock removal company and was given a list of companies.
But he didn’t take a name from that list. Instead, he contacted Ernie Herrington Excavating, Trucking, and Sanitation Ltd. of nearby Arkona, about a 20-minute drive east of Wyoming.
On Feb. 2, a representative of that company got in touch with OMAFRA to ask about licensing. Two days later, without having acquired the proper licensing, the company took away its first load of deadstock. In total, the company hauled away 11 dump truck loads of deadstock from the farm.
Both the company and Mr. Huybers pleaded guilty to violating the deadstock removal regulation that requires the person disposing of the deadstock to be licensed to do so.
Each were fined $2,000, plus a victim surcharge of $500.
