On February 8, 2012, Cericola Farms Limited of Bradford, Ontario, pleaded guilty to three violations under the Ontario Water Resources Act for discharging chicken processing effluent into a creek that may impair the quality of the water and two counts of failing to comply with their Certificate of Approval.
Cericola owns and operates an industrial sewage works which processes wastewater from its chicken processing plant. Partially treated wastewater was sprayed on agricultural land but ran off into a creek that flowed into the North Holland River. The company was prosecuted and fined a total of $80,000 plus victim fine surcharges and was given six months to pay the fine.