Yukon judge finds outfitter not guilty of wasting meat — because he ate it

A Yukon judge has found an outfitter not guilty of wasting big game meat, because he ate a portion of the meat.

Aaron Florian, a hunting guide and the owner of Yukon Stone Outfitters, was charged with wasting big game meat in 2022 under the Wildlife Act. Judge Kathleen Caldwell issued her decision in Yukon territorial court in Whitehorse on July 21. 

Conservation officers seized more than 500 pounds of moose meat from Florian's refrigerated trailer in October 2022, after a guided hunt along the South Canol. 

Conservation officers said the meat inside the trailer was slimy and smelled sour. Expert testimony from a veterinarian also said the meat was spoiled.

The trailer was malfunctioning and the meat didn't freeze thoroughly, Florian testified. He found out later that the trailer, called a reefer, had been wired incorrectly and was defective when he bought it for that season. It has since been fixed.

Florian testified he felt bad about the meat's condition and he would have kept it for personal use — instead of donating it — if conservation officers hadn't seized it. He said a vinegar bath and trimming would deal with the slime.

After obtaining a court order, some of the seized meat had been returned to Florian. He testified that he made a number of dishes for himself and friends, including a pot roast, sausages and carpaccio. Florian and a friend both testified that the meat tasted fine and didn't make anyone sick.

In her decision, Caldwell said there's "surprisingly little legal precedent or guidance" to define meat spoilage in the Wildlife Act. 

"Mr. Florian claims that his intention is to consume the remaining meat if it is returned to him," Caldwell said in her decision. "Consumed meat is not wasted meat."

Caldwell said her decision doesn't negate expert testimony which called the meat spoiled, but suggested that spoilage is subjective.

"It is clear that the meat was not in the condition to be sold in any of Whitehorse's major grocery store chains," Caldwell said.

Florian is still facing an additional charge of wasting meat in a similar time frame. That charge will go to trial on Sept. 8.