[Snoopy]

Hello Dysie

It would be worthwhile to look into having an automatic drinker and/or a heavy cemented in trough that has
a ball cock on and is fed so that it is always full.

I do not know where you are, but here in Ireland you have to provide water for pigs 24 hours per day
seven days per week -  this rule was brought in last year because a lot of pigs knock over their water and then
especially in the summer ,spend the rest of the day without a drink.

If you could at least have a plan to do this, on paper, it will help you with the welfare people - they are there to advise
you, not to take your pigs off you, but to help you comply with their rules and regs.

Do not be put off - we have had them check us out too seven years ago, because of a jealous neighbour - do not worry,
see it as a positive step as once they are satisfied there is sod all anyone can do to remove your pigs from your field

Good Luck

Snoopy

[Jackie]

Dysie you could also mention to the welfare people that if there is any more unfounded complaints from the previous people that made the complaint that you will consider it harrassment and take 'appropriate' action.
With any luck that message will get passed back to the complainers and they will stop before you need to take legal action.

[shetlandpaul]

we kept getting visits from the sspca because someone did not like us having ponies. we have 4 males and fillies. the inspector never found anything wrong but each visit was stressful. i would be polite but don't feel bad as others have said they have to visit but it means nothing if your animals are healthy. in the end they will give up and start on someone else.

[dysie39]

even though i have had the all clear from animal welfare and the case is closd,  ( i have this in writing )
I went ahead today and let the pigs go, for their own safety,
it took up the whole of the day as they kept escaping and we couldnt get a trailer close enough to the pen to get them into it,
but we ended up letting them go with a very nice chap who lives quite close and will look after them untill we can sell them on,
im going to visit them on weds/thurs this week so ill make sure they have settled in ok

[little blue]

thats sad, but ultimately your decision so hope you dodnt feel bullied into it by mindless fools...
As you say "life is what you make it" so chin up!

[doganjo]

I would go further - this is absolutely outrageous!  You should ask your lawyer to send them a letter advising them that it is your right to have what animals you wish on your own land.  They have won this round. Don't let them win the war!!!!

[ukag0972]

I'm with you doganjo !

Don't get mad or sad, get revenge!!

[doganjo]

Revenge is good - dump some pig s**t in their garden some dark night!

[sausagesandcash]

Revenge is good - dump some pig s**t in their garden some dark night!

Every contact leaves a trace (forensics)!!

My wife wanted me to sell the pigs....... i've got one wife for sale!!

[Hilarysmum]

My OH would like to echo those sentiments ....

[doganjo]

I WAS just joking!   However, there was one occasion when we got revenge and it didn't backfire.  A neighbour used to let his dog poop on our path every night - 11pm every night we heard him whistling down the road and watched him.  We got sick of it so one night when he'd gone past, Sandy got a shovel and lifted it, dumped it on our neighbours doorstep then watched for him returning    We enjoyed the reaction when he stood in it and saw him glower down at our door - so he knew perfectly well it was us.  He never let his dog do that again.

[sabrina]

A few years ago we had a couple who bought the cottage at the bottom of our farm road as a holiday home. He made our life hell all because we would not sell him land. He watched our every move, threatened to kill my cats. Cut down a yew tree and threw bits over into my field beside the horses. Lucky I saw him as I was picking up droppings in the paddocks. I hate to think what I would have come home to if I had been at work. Yew stops the heart in 5 Min's. he tried to tell me he had no idea but I found out that was a lie. the man who cut the tree down for him told him just how dangerous it was and to make sure he took every branch to the skip. He tried to claim rights to our farm road and started planting bushes so we had to prove it was indeed ours. Next he fell out with the local farmers about the mud on the road when they were lifting tatties, complained about muck spreading and kept on at us when were we going to tar our farm road as the dust in the summer made his windows dirty. It would cost £20,000 plus for us to do that so we never have. The whole area was delighted when they moved back to England. At first it did upset me but then I took no notice, once when I was riding past his house he decided to strim the grass verges next to his house. My horse got upset at being hit by flying stones and started jumping about. I just laughed for his face was picture.

[MiriMaran]

God, some people!  My family call those type of people the CocaCola crew - the people who move to the countryside and have no respect for the countryside (dropping Coke cans everywhere)!!

A cheap option that we use for our pigs is an old Belfast sink that we found - can't knock that over!  So sorry to hear that the pigs have gone.

[scattybiker1972]

sorry you sold your pigs  and sorry for the pressure you felt to need to.

[shetlandpaul]

it works the other way too.