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A Quebec fur farmer who was raising 10,000 minks and close to 100 foxes has been found guilty of three counts of animal cruelty and neglect in what the Montreal SPCA believes to be the first animal abuse conviction for a fur farm in Canada.

Jean-Luc Rodier, the owner of Visions JNJ Inc. in St-Jude, about 78 kilometres east of Montreal, pleaded guilty in St-Hyacinthe court Thursday to wilfully causing the suffering of foxes and wilfully neglecting to provide care.

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He was ordered to pay $5,000 in fines and perform 75 hours of community service. He is prohibited from being in the possession of animals other than minks for 15 years, and will have to be supervised by a veterinarian if he chooses to continue to raise minks.

The charges come as a result of a criminal investigation launched by the Montreal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals in 2014 after a surprise visit showed numerous cases of neglect. Following up on an animal cruelty complaint, SPCA investigators obtained a warrant to access the farm, accompanied by veterinarians. Two foxes had to be euthanized immediately, the SPCA reported. One had an open bone fracture, with the bone protruding from the skin, and had gnawed off part of its paw, SPCA lawyer Sophie Gaillard said. Another suffered from glaucoma that was causing painful swelling of its eyes.