Lincolnshire Trading Standards has removed 225 pigs from a farm it deemed to be a high-risk premises.
An investigation, warranted after multiple inspections identified potential offences on the farm in question, found that conditions had deteriorated, amounting to a vet deeming all the animals on the farm to have been caused unnecessary suffering, or likely to suffer if conditions did not change.
Mark Keal, Trading Standards manager at Lincolnshire County Council speaking at the April 19, Public Protection and Communities Scrutiny Committee, described the situation on-farm.
A photo of the conditions was also shown at the meeting.
“The suffering was a result of unsuitable housing, buildings on the farm in a serious state of disrepair, posing risk,” said Keal.
There was inadequate feed and bedding, he added, as well as a lack of veterinary treatment and care for sick and injured animals.
Trading Standards has the power to seize animals once unnecessary suffering has been identified, however in this situation it worked with the farmer to take care of the pigs.
“We ended up taking those animals away from the premises; we could have seized them, we have the power to do that once unnecessary suffering was identified but we worked with the farmer, he agreed to sign them over into our care,” said Keal.
“So we are currently dealing with the remainder of the 225 pigs that were taken into our care.”
The pigs are be sold on to recoup some of the cost that Trading Standards has incurred.
Keal added that farmers having problems with trading conditions at the moment can lead to situations like this, whereby the animals end up being the ones suffering.
“This is an ongoing issue that we’re concerned with – some farmers are finding the trading conditions quite difficult. And this is one of the problems that can occur as a result of they can no longer afford feed or proper care for the animals and there is a risk that we end up having to take them under our wing as it were, to ensure that there is no unnecessary suffering,” he said.
