Canadian pork producer enters restructuring following $35 million fraud lawsuit in the U.S.
Alberta, has filed for protection under Canada’s Bankruptcy and Insolvency Act, alongside several of its subsidiaries — including Trochu Meat Processors, a key pork processing facility.
The filings come amid serious legal scrutiny stemming from a federal lawsuit filed in the United States by Compeer Financial, a Minnesota-based farm credit cooperative. The lawsuit alleges that three Sunterra-owned hog operations — Sunterra Farms, Sunwold Farms, and Lariagara Farms — were involved in a “long-running fraud” scheme.
$35 Million Fraud Allegation
According to the lawsuit, the companies collectively owe more than $35 million to Compeer Financial, backed by only $19 million in collateral. The legal complaint accuses the operations of engaging in a check-kiting scheme — a practice where checks are repeatedly circulated between companies using accounts with insufficient funds, temporarily inflating bank balances and triggering unwarranted interest payments from Compeer.
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