[Billy Rhomboid]

The field in which we keep our pig  is bisected  by a public footpath. This has never been a problem until now - the pigs are all in stock fenced and electric fenced enclosures which we rotate around the field every 6 months or so. The pigs are very popular with the local villagers who stop and chat and have names for them all, and bring their kids/grandchildren to look at the pigs and so on. Sometimes people brings apples to feed to them, sometimes veg peelings and old bread etc - this is not a practice we have encouraged or condoned but we know it happens because we see stray  bits the pigs have rotted through the fence.
Obviously we are very scrupulous about observing DEFRA regs re what we feed our pigs but passersby tossing stuff in is hardly something we can control. To be clear we are not talking meal slops but veg peelings etc - we ourselves always top and tail carrots and peel outer leaves of cabbages etc at the allotment before they make it to our kitchen so we can feed them to the pigs with impunity. For all we know the anonymous donors could be doing the same.

The question is where do we stand legally with DEFRA on this? Are we liable for whatever our pigs eat regardless of whether we give it to them or not? Or is having enclosures and a 'Do Not Feed The Pigs' sign adequate measures on our part?

As mentioned at the start up until now everyone locally has been (outwardly) very friendly and supportive of our pig keeping, but suddenly one person has complained to the Parish council and is threatening to take it to County council, DEFRA and whoever else they can find, that we feed our pigs waste, that they are illegally overstocked (7 pigs in about an acre at a time, rotated around a 5 acre field), etc etc. Most of it palpable nonsense, but I can well imagine the person in question will produce photographs of a pig with half a baguette in its mouth, and I would like to know how much of the onus is on us on this?

Does anyone know what our position is?

[little blue]

I'd get a sign up pronto.
And include on it that pigs cannot be legally be fed kitchen etc waste.

It would do no harm to phone the local Animal Health & explain the situation.
then if/when they recieve complaints, they have "your side of the story" already.

try and speak to some of passers-by too.  By word-of-mouth, they could well get the message. or ask them not to feed the pigs directly without showing you what they've brought.

[harry]

i think you can shoot them like worring dogs, not sure about that best check first

[ambriel]

Good idea about a sign.

Might be worth adding a bit of information about the breed of pigs, etc - that's something people are always asking me about ours.

[Barrett]

Billy, I think a sign should be your first port of call and inform you local Trading Standards officer of the situation and that you have put signs up, make sure on the signs it notes that it is against rules to feed the pigs scraps.

[piggy]

Just on another note if you havn't already you need to put signs up warning that the fence is electric you can get these yellow things that sit on the fence line,as my neighbour has a footpath on his land as was told he he didnt warn people although they would have to lean over the fence to touch the eletric he could be sued.

[suziequeue]

Agree about the signs and warnings.

Great idea to have a bit of info about the breed etc.

[oaklandspigs]

The relevant legislation is the animal By Products Regulations 2005, part 3 which states

http://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2005/2347/part/3/made

"Restrictions on feeding catering waste and other animal by-products

9.—(1) It is an offence to contravene Article 22(1)(b) of the Community Regulation (which prohibits the feeding of farmed animals with catering waste or feed materials containing or derived from catering waste) and it is also an offence to feed such materials to any other ruminant animal, pig or bird."

Since it is not you doing the feeding, or an employee of yours under your direction, or you encouraging by placing a sign saying "please feed" I think it would be very hard for any authority to do you for this, but I would suggest you take the above (inc www address) to your solicitor for proper legal advice, and not rely on me!  The cost of doing this would be worth knowing the asnwer.

I would suggest you take along a copy of Defra's new pig keepers guide

http://archive.defra.gov.uk/foodfarm/farmanimal/movements/pigs/documents/new_owner_guide.pdf

as this shows that catering waste includes kitchens.

I suspect that you would get no authoritive (or helpful) answer from Defra or Animal Health, but both would probably advise you to stop keeping pigs in that field as that is the easiest answer for them to give, and makes it not their responsibility that they said it was ok!  Any advice must be in writing if you do go down that road, phone calls can be denied!

[powispigs]

we have put up a sign saying please do not feed the pigs and warning that pigs can bite as we were also concerned if passer bys could cause us chaos if something happened!