UNITED KINGDOM-FARM SCANDAL..
Police and animal welfare officials swooped on a farm near Bromham because of concerns about the well being of a large number of livestock.
Police officers were executing a warrant looking for stolen goods at Wyatts Lake Farm at Westbrook on Friday morning when they came across the carcass of a pig.
They found more dead pigs on the farm and called in a RSPCA inspector, a vet from Defra, animal health officers from Wiltshire County Council and environmental health officers from Kennet District Council who spent several hours at the farm checking on the condition of pigs and chickens.
Lance Beale, who grows vegetables at Wyatts Lake Farm, is banned from keeping livestock following a long running court case and said a company, not him, was responsible for the welfare of the animals on the farm.
However, information from Companies House shows he is listed as a current director and company secretary of the said company.
Sgt Andy Peach of Wiltshire Police said the carcasses of about eight pigs were found and one pig, which was lame and malnourished, was despatched by a police firearms officer.
Police assisted colleagues from the other agencies in scattering feed where pigs and chickens were roaming.
Sgt Peach said: "As well as the dead pigs, police officers were concerned about other pigs which appeared to be in a malnourished state."
No live animals were taken away from the farm, which is home to about 150 pigs, 200 chickens and one sheep.
Police scenes of crimes officers took photographs as part of an investigation that is being led by Wiltshire County Council’s trading standards department.
Two of the carcasses have been sent away for post mortem examination and the county council served an improvement notice on the farm to dispose of the remaining carcasses.
Mr Beale, 58, was not at the farm when the swoop took place but heard about it through a friend who called him.
While he was away from the farm an animal health inspector spoke to him on the phone to tell him that one pig needed to be destroyed or treated and he gave authorisiation for a police firearms officer to destroy it.
No stolen goods were found at the farm and no one has been arrested.
Under the Animal By Products Regulations farmers have to dispose of carcasses in a timely manner either through commercial incineration or commercial rendering.
Carcasses cannot be buried on farms.
John Devlin, Kennet area manager for Wiltshire trading standards, said an investigation had begun into whether offences had been committed regarding the disposal of carcasses or if any had been committed under the Animal Welfare Act.
