Vegan who gave water to pigs headed for slaughter finds it 'unfathomable' she was charged

A Toronto woman facing mischief charges for giving water to pigs on a truck headed to slaughter used the witness box likea pulpit in court today, with her testimony almost completely centringon her beliefs that everyoneshould be vegan and an activist.

AnitaKrajnc, 49, appearedin a Burlington, Ont., courtroomas her trial resumed in front of a judge alone for the third day.

The animal rights activist is charged with mischief and faces jail time or a maximum $5,000 fine for providing water through the narrow openings of a metal trailer to the pigs as they were headed to Fearman's Pork Inc. in Burlington on June 22, 2015.

• Activists fill courtroom at water-for-pigs trial
• Pigs headed for slaughter were in distress: expert

"I just find it unfathomable that someone would be charged for giving thirsty animals water," she said, while also testifying that she had no idea shecould be charged for what she was doing.

"In the three years we've given water to pigs, police have been present, so we took that as an endorsement."

I think it's child abuse to give bacon to children.-AnitaKrajnc, animal rights activist

Krajnc is part of the group Toronto Pig Save, which regularly holds vigils outside the pork processing plant. Krajnc has said the pigs were overheated and severely dehydrated.

When the trial was last in session in August, an animal welfare expert testified the animals appeared to be in "severe distress" from the heat inside the trailer but because she hadn't examined them, she couldn't say for sure.

Outside the courthouse,Krajnctold CBC News that testifying gave her an opportunity to spread her message.

"The pig trial has turned around from being a trial about one woman giving water to pigs to really putting animal agriculture on trial for what it does to animals, what it does to the environment, and what it does to people's health and what it does to our conscience," she said.

'I think they're better than people'

In many ways, Monday's session was less aboutKrajnc'scharges specifically, and moreabout the meat industry andthe ethics surrounding it. The defence and the Crown spent roughly 15 minutes talking about the incident itself, while the rest of the day centred onKrajnc's personal beliefs.

The court did not qualify heras an expert in any field, but she was still allowed to present evidence about climate change, the agriculture industry, and even how many pigs were slaughtered insideFearman's on an annual basis. Krajnctestified shehas a PhD in political scienceand did a case study on climate change.

Krajncmentioned Leo Tolstoy and Gandhi several times, and referred toPastor MartinNiemoeller'spoemabout the wayGerman intellectuals actedfollowing the Nazis'rise to power before the Second World War, comparing that to how humans treat animals.

"I think they're better than people, they'remore noble,"Krajncsaid about pigs.

At one point, she mentioned a 2015 report from the World Health Organizationthat lookedat theevidenceabout whether processed meat and red meat cause cancer, calling bacon a "carcinogen." The WHO's International Agency for Research on Cancer said thateating processed meat can cause cancer.

"If you wouldn't give a cigarette to a child, why would you give bacon to a child?" Krajnctestified."I think it's child abuse to give bacon to children."

Squeals disturb some in court

On Monday, the defence showed several videos the group has shot during its vigils, showing pigs squealing and climbing on each other in tight confines.

The lawyers also showed videos shot from inside slaughterhouses, showing pigs being gassed, prodded with electrodes and loaded unconscious on conveyor belts on the way to slaughter.

Several people inside the courtroom covered their ears and eyes when faced with the sounds of the pigs squealing. Some people wiped away tears.

JeffreyVeldjesgraaf, the truck's driver, testified in August that it wasn't unusual forKrajncand other animal rights activists to offer water to the pigs, and saidFearman'sPork Inc. has never turned away the animalshe hauls there because of it.

During cross-examination,Veldjesgraafsaid the animals are givenwater before and after they're loaded onto the trucks, but notduring transit.

Court also watched video of the 2015 incident, in whichKrajncisseen yelling to the truck driver, "Have somecompassion, have somecompassion!"

Krajnctestified Monday that she offered the driver water after she had given water to the pigs, but he refused.

Animal rights activists planned tohold a demonstration at a Vancouver courthouse today calling on the courts to dropKrajnc'scharges.

"Any sane person can see that allowing pigs to suffer, rather than relieving their suffering, is what should be the crime," said demonstration organizerMeghanBeattiein a statement."This case is shining a spotlight on the failure of our animal agriculture system to recognize that animals are thinking, feeling individuals, not inanimate property."

Krajnc'strial is due to continue onNov. 1.

CBC News reporter Adam Carter reportedlive from the courtroom Monday. You can read a recap of his live blog here:

On mobile and can't see the live blog? View it here.

adam.carter@cbc.ca