Convicted: L&M Meat Distributing 2021 Inc.
Location of Offences: Kawartha Lakes Community Sales Barn (Lindsay, Ontario); Hoards Station Sales Barn (Campbellford, Ontario); Ontario Stockyard Inc. (Cookstown, Ontario); Brussels Livestock (Brussels, Ontario).
Description of Offence: Acting as a cattle dealer without a dealer’s licence contrary to subsection 5(1) of the Protecting Farmers from Non-Payment Act.
Date of Offence: Between January 1, and April 30, 2026.
Date of Conviction: September 29, 2026.
Penalty Imposed: Total fine of $25,000 imposed by the Provincial Offences Courts in Goderich, Cobourg, Barrie and Lindsay, and an additional $6,250 victim fine surcharge required under the Provincial Offences Act.
Background: In April 2026, the Compliance Enforcement and Intelligence Unit of the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Agribusiness received a complaint alleging that L&M Meat Distributing 2021 Inc. was purchasing cattle for slaughter without the required dealer’s licence.
An investigation determined the company regularly purchased cattle between January 1 and April 30, 2026, without holding the required licence. The purchases were made through four livestock sales barns in Ontario.
L&M Meat Distributing 2021 Inc. pleaded guilty to all four charges in four separate Provincial Offences Court jurisdictions and was fined a total of $25,000 plus a victim fine surcharge of $6,250.
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