Closing Arguments in Jury Trial Against Three Activists Who Exposed Animal Cruelty at Excelsior Hog Farm

The Excelsior 4 trial began on June 27, and last Wednesday Justice Verhoeven made a ruling that blocked the defence from showing the jury any video footage of animal cruelty at Excelsior, including the footage the activists are being tried for exposing. The judge also prevented the defence from arguing that the hog farm had engaged in unlawful animal abuse, severely curtailing the activists’ case.

As a result, the defence submitted no evidence and called none of their expert witnesses. “Without the ability to enter video evidence of animal abuse, the legs were cut out from under several of the defences we had been planning to raise,” said Leo Salloum, Amy Soranno’s legal counsel.

During the trial, Crown prosecutors painted the owners of Excelsior Hog Farm, the Binnendyk family, as victims, and worked vigorously to prevent the defence from showing evidence of animal cruelty to the jury. On cross-examination, farm co-owner Calvin Binnendyk revealed that he was completely unfamiliar with the laws pertaining to the treatment of farmed animals, such as the Criminal Code and the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act (PCAA). Binnendyk was also unable to confirm whether or not he had abused animals under his care, per the PCAA, since he had never read the law.

The case will likely be sent to the jury for deliberation on Friday.

The Excelsior 4 trial comes more than three years after the exposure of animal cruelty at the Abbotsford hog farm, yet Excelsior has never had to answer for the video footage clearly depicting animal abuse. To learn more about the Excelsior 4 case—how industry has avoided accountability, how the police mishandled evidence, and how the Crown is criminalizing activists—watch this 7-minute video: https://youtu.be/FJGAI02SWzw. Additional information can also be found at the Excelsior 4 website: https://excelsior4.org.