A guilty plea last spring has brought a $5,000 fine this winter for a Winnipeg chicken farm.

The Evergreen Colony Ltd, doing business as Evergreen Poultry Farms, was convicted on one count of violating the Canada Agricultural Products Act, according to the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA).

Judge Lord of the Provincial Court of Manitoba ordered the company to pay a fine of $5,000 within one month.

The company entered a guilty plea to the charge last May.  It stems from illegal acts committed by the company between Jan. 10, 2005 and Jan. 29, 2006.

During that time, Evergreen Poultry Farms graded eggs that failed to meet the requirements set out in Schedule 1 of the Egg Regulations and then sold those eggs to a Winnipeg grocery store.

Specifically, the company graded eggs as Canada C which were not conveyed to a registered processed egg station in accordance with Section 4(c) of Schedule 1 of the Egg Regulations, thereby committing the offense contrary to Section 33(1)(a) of the Canada Agricultural Products Act.

The City of Winnipeg Environmental Services Division assisted in the investigation that led to successful prosecution of the case, CFIA said.

CFIA is responsible for enforcing a variety of federal legislation, including the Canada Agricultural Products Act and its regulations. The Canada Agricultural Products Act regulates, among other things, the marketing of agricultural products in import, export and interprovincial trade.