Quebec awarded 203 criminal offenses related to animal welfare and safety, between June 2020 and June 2022. Our Bureau of Investigation has identified those who were caught most often. Here we present to you one of the worst cases. We also obtained reports with photos from the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food of Quebec (MAPAQ). Some offenders agreed to give their version of the facts while others refused our interview requests.
On the farm of this bovine breeder from Chaudière-Appalaches, the land on which the animals were found was in such poor condition that the animals sank into 30 cm of mud to go eat.
Dead chickens were being trampled by others.
The farm building being dilapidated, the cows, the bull and the calf had no resting place or place to protect themselves from the cold and the bad weather.
Photo provided by MAPAQ
MAPAQ inspectors felt that Steeve Laliberté’s farm building was dilapidated, and that his animals were not protected from the weather.
The MAPAQ inspector points out that sections of the building’s walls are detached, that the support beams are about to give way, that it is cluttered with garbage and that there are holes in the metal roof.
Steeve Laliberté was convicted in 2022 and 2021 for four offenses dating from 2019 to 2021.
Added to this are two other convictions because he failed to “dispose of inedible meat”.
Photo provided by MAPAQ
In an interview, Mr. Laliberté claims to have done everything he could for his animals. He says the last few years have been difficult after a car accident at the start of the pandemic. The misadventure left him with a broken spine and psychological scars, preventing him from working and limiting what he could do on the farm.
“Probably I should have sold everything. I wouldn’t have those problems. But I did it for my children,” he says, crying over the phone.
He claims to have taken steps to help himself. He sold much of his herd and horses, a “heartbreaking” decision because his children adored them, he says.
He maintains that he was unable to appear at the hearings because of his memory and concentration problems, which would have appeared after his accident. He plans to challenge the fines that were given to him, because he considers that they are excessive.