Kurtis Andrews of Ottawa is the lead lawyer defending Hybrid
Turkeys Ltd. against three charges of animal cruelty laid by the Ontario
Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals after news media coverage of an
underground video from Mercy for Animals.
Andrews is filing a constitutional challenge, claiming the
law governing the system Ontario has set up is “granting police powers to a
private organization without due restraints, accountability and transparency.”
Pamela Kraus of Kitchener is the lawyer representing five
employees who face eight animal cruelty charges.
The crown attorney was not ready when the case came up in
court in Woodstock Wednesday because the OSPCA didn’t turn over its package of documentation
until Tuesday.
The trial is set to begin Nov. 20. The case is being heard
in Woodstock because the farms where the video was shot has a Bright address.
Hybrid, which is owned by Hendrix Genetics Ltd. of the
Netherlands, has a 60 per cent market share in the global turkey-breeding
business. It has only one major competitor.
Hybrid, which is headquartered in Kitchener, runs 50 barns
at 11 farms.
