Hog farm invaders convicted

Two leaders of a high-profile farm invasion in April 2019 have been convicted on charges of break-and-enter and mischief.

Amy Soranno and Nick Schafer opted for trial by jury in the hope of better pleading their case and shining a light on farming practices in the province. But after a short trial, the jury ended up convicting them for their role in the invasion of Excelsior Hog farm in Abbotsford.

Sentencing is scheduled for August 26. The convictions could see the two handed sentences of up to 10 years in jail.

A much longer list of 21 charges were originally filed against four people involved in the invasion. However, prosecutors dropped charges against Geoff Regier earlier this year, leaving the three remaining individuals facing 14.

Roy Sasano was acquitted during the trial for his role in the affair, which saw 165 individuals descend on the farm on a quiet Sunday morning.

The remaining charges were ultimately pared back to just two counts apiece.

BC Pork did not have an immediate response to the conviction, but it has supported an industry-wide response to the growing threat activists pose animal agriculture.

The concerns have also impacted the dairy and poultry industries, both of which have been subject to undercover operations by animal rights activists.

The most recent incident saw the temporary suspension of the production licence for Cedar Valley Farms, an organic dairy in Abbotsford. The farm is now operating under the oversight of the BC Milk Marketing Board. BC SPCA has recommended criminal charges to Crown counsel.

The province announced stronger legal protections against trespassing for farms in 2019 in response to the Excelsior invasion. The move was applauded by the BC Agriculture Council, however BCAC had no comment on the conviction.

Soranno and Schafer are considering an appeal of the conviction.

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2 days ago

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Forty-six regions in BC are eligible to participate in the federal livestock tax deferral program, announced yesterday, more than anywhere else in the country. The program allows producers who downsize their breeding herds by 15% to defer reporting the proceeds until the following year, when they buy replacement stock. But after multiple years of drought, the BC beef herd is cruising 25-year lows and some producers are calling for more support to maintain and rebuild their herds. For more, see: [www.countrylifeinbc.com/bc-leads-livestock-tax-deferrals/]

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6 days ago

After weeks and weeks of no moisture, there's rain in Kelowna today. While much more moisture is needed over the coming weeks and months to reduce drought conditions and the air smells of wet campfire, the slow, steady rain is very welcome for fruit grower#BCAg#BCAg ... See MoreSee Less

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1 week ago

The first Delta Farmland and Wildlife Trust Grassland Set-aside Variety Trial Field Day was held at Delta's family-owned Tecarte Farms, August 27. Co-owner Bill Bates and DFWT executive director Christine Schmalz welcomed more than 35 people to view seven acres planted to different grassland blends specifically chosen to rejuvenate the soil and support the farm's blueberries. For the Bates family, it was time to try something different following the decline of the field's blueberry bushes over the past several years. "We tried everything, and nothing worked," says Bates. The blueberries were removed in May and the grassland crops planted about a week later.

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Bessette Creek is the latest watershed hit with a temporary fish protection order this year as the province moves to protect returning Chinook salmon. A total of 131 surface and groundwater users must cease drawing water immediately, with forage producers, greenhouses and nurseries impacted. "Declining flows in Bessette Creek reached record lows in early July 2026 and have remained below the minimum level required to support fish population survival," says the province. Bessette producers have embraced voluntary cutbacks, scheduled irrigation and other measures to reduce water use, and are also waiting on funding to boost water storage infrastructure. They're the second group of producers hit with a provincial order this year. Salmon River irrigators were told to top watering earlier this month following a reprieve to address wildfire risk. Growers in both the Salmon River and Bessette watersheds are urging the province to support new water storage infrastructure in advance of next year.

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There is a problem... having lived in the salmon river ( silver creek ) area, I remember a fish biologist telling family members that salmon only "survive" in high iron content creeks, they do not "thrive".... salmon river ( silver creek ) is a very high iron content, would stain clothes brown when i would use bleach... So don't expect high salmon numbers off of that creek , even in ideal situations...

I just wish they would take an interest in CHASE CREEK....went bone dry...100% of trout abd other species died...smell was terrible from rotting fish. Understand this has happened many times in the past. Chase Irrigation District totally responsible for this disaster. Now fishermen are complaining about major drop in water levels at Pillar Lake.

They could not mismanage things worse than they have. It's impossible for them to. The fact that farmers that we need for our animals are now suffering the consequences our governments have not protected us from, is absolutely fucking wild.