Inspection leads to quarantine of urban farm

The state Department of Agriculture has quarantined the farm animals being kept by Chris Toole at the Bridgeport Animal Control property, in Bridgeport, Conn., Oct. 29, 2013. The state Department of Agriculture has quarantined the farm animals being kept by Chris Toole at the Bridgeport Animal Control property, in Bridgeport, Conn., Oct. 29, 2013. Photo: Ned Gerard Photo: Ned Gerard Image 1 of / 6 Caption Close Inspection leads to quarantine of urban farm 1 / 6 Back to Gallery

BRIDGEPORT -- The state has quarantined the city's experimental farm, alleging that inspectors found sick and poorly fed chickens, goats, pigs and donkeys with injured eyes, mouth sores, broken hooves and other ailments.

And when the Department of Agriculture interviewed owner Chris Toole -- who claims to be poor and homeless -- he asked if hitting a goat in the head before cutting its throat was an acceptable method of slaughter, according to the state's preliminary report.

"I don't want to be unfair, but there's a number of alarming things here," George Krivda, a spokesman for the state's agriculture agency, said Tuesday afternoon.

Toole, a New York transplant, Tuesday night said he is well on his way to addressing all of the state's issues. For example, he said earlier in the day his goat veterinarian and an equine veterinarian visited.

"Both said the animals looked to be in quite good condition," Toole said.

While quarantined, the animals cannot leave the farm, which is housed at the animal shelter. Public contact is also banned.

More Information The inspection report

According to state inspectors, urban farm owner Chris Toole "asked if hitting a goat in the head before slitting the throat was an accepted euthanasia practice under religious beliefs. He cited his demand from the ethnic market and has a Portuguese neighbor who is handling slaughtering in his garage."

For the full report, visit www.ctpost.com.

Krivda said the state is working with the city and Toole to figure out some solutions. Krivda did not rule out the possibility the state would have to seize the herd.

Toole initially said none of the state's demands were unreasonable. But when asked how he and his girlfriend, Anya Pozdeeva, will pay for them, Toole deemed some of the requirements unnecessary.

"Is the state pushing to see if they can break us financially ... because we declared ourselves as poor?" he said.

The agriculture department visited Toole's operation after learning from Hearst Connecticut Newspapers this month that numerous farm animals were being raised there with Mayor Bill Finch's blessing.

Finch, who wants residents to have easy access to fresh food, befriended Toole, his girlfriend and their sons after Bridgeport health officials threatened to seize the dozen-plus chickens they had at their Noble Avenue apartment.

The Department of Agriculture counted 35 chickens, 17 goats, six goat kids, three donkeys and a pig.

"I don't know any of the details about how we got from chickens to here," Krivda said. "We were surprised to learn there were animals at this pound facility beyond dogs and cats."

The mayor's office previously said it was a good opportunity to experiment with a small urban farm and there were no issues involving city health officials, local ordinances or the state Department of Agriculture.

"The city is supportive of the concept of urban farming as evidenced by the vast number of community gardens throughout the city," Finch spokeswoman Elaine Ficarra said Tuesday. "However, we know it's not an exact science."

Ficarra said the administration will assist the state in ensuring Toole follows its regulations.

Pozdeeva said Hearst was unfairly targeting the family's operation. She also said the couple spoils its animals like children.

"Why are you making this super hard for us and the mayor?" she said.

But a preliminary, three-page report of the state's Oct. 23 inspection, released Tuesday, paints a picture of a potentially inhumane situation that could be hazardous to other animals and humans if not corrected.

Toole said Tuesday he had not seen the report the state provided to the newspaper.

"We're not critical of urban agriculture," said Krivda, adding his department supports Finch's efforts to allow residents -- particularly immigrants -- to grow their own food. "This is beyond that."

Many of the goats had partially healed mouth lesions, with one suffering a neck infection. Another walked around with a large mass on the side of its face beneath its beard, inspectors said.

They also found six goat kids in a pen, unable to access water. There was no evidence they had been fed that morning.

Toole had previously told Hearst he often feeds the animals expired food that would end up in the garbage.

Inspectors said the donkeys' bodies were in good condition, but one had damaged hooves and many chickens had injured eyes.

"There was no feeder or feed or water available for the chickens," reported the inspectors. "Ms. Pozdeeva arrived and gave the birds three scoops of strawberries."

Krivda also said Toole did not produce the necessary veterinary and import paperwork to ensure the animals were legally purchased and free of communicable diseases.

The state is not only worried about the potential for diseases passing to other livestock, but the threat to human health from rabies.

There was no evidence the animals that could be vaccinated from rabies had been, and not enough security to ensure those that could not -- goats and pigs -- were kept from the public.

The Department of Agriculture is also worried about the safety of Toole, Pozdeeva, their 3-year-old son and her 8-year-old-son. Toole told inspectors he is homeless and his family drinks the unpasteurized goat's milk.

That would be dangerous under normal circumstances, but Toole's goats appear to be sick, Krivda said.

And then there was Toole's interest in slaughtering goats.

"Mr. Toole asked if hitting a goat in the head before slitting the throat was an accepted euthanasia practice under religious beliefs," said the state inspectors. "He cited his demand from the ethnic market and has a Portuguese neighbor who is handling slaughtering in his garage."

On Tuesday, Toole said he was only asking to learn his options if he had to get rid of some animals.

"That being said, there's a police officer that did offer to help us," Toole added.

Asked if the Department of Agriculture will try to legally seize Toole's herd, Krivda said if that happened, the animals would be transported to a rescue facility for treatment, then brought to a farming environment.

"Unfortunately, in some instances that might not be possible," Krivda said.

Finch's office Tuesday did not respond to a question about how well the mayor vetted Toole before allowing him to raise several dozen animals on city property.

Toole said he had been in touch with Finch about environmental initiatives before the issues with his hens.

Toole moved to Bridgeport last year from New York, where his efforts to farm tilapia in plastic bins were covered by the New York Post, WNYC-New York Public Radio and the British Broadcasting Corporation.

Toole has said he left a high-paying job as a bank executive in New York City because of the stress and impact on his health. He claims to be disabled and barely able to pay for rent and utilities in Bridgeport.

He's also has been ordered by a family court judge to look for work to pay child support to the mothers of his first two sons. Toole said they live in Canada and Australia.