A FARMER has been given a conditional discharge by magistrates, despite admitting four charges of neglect against his pigs.

Richard Bourne, of Queenfield Farm, Lower Forest, Melksham, pleaded guilty to four breaches of the Welfare of Livestock Regulations, 1994, including failing to provide a lactating sow with an adequate supply of fresh water, failing to provide pigs with a lying area which was clean, comfortable and well drained and failing to dispose of pig carcasses without undue delay.

Bourne pleaded not guilty to another four charges, including failing to provide his pigs with a wholesome diet.

Wiltshire County County's Trading Stan-dards Department, which was prosecuting him, offered no evidence on those charges and they were discontinued.

Gary Lucie, prosecuting, told the court in Devizes on Monday that animal health inspector Louise Tovey and ministry of agriculture vets visited Elm Farm, Bromham, on December 7 last year after a complaint had been received.

The first pen they inspected contained a sow with four piglets. The sow had no water available and, when given some, drank 20 litres in one go.

In other pens, pigs were found up to their knees in slurry. Mr Lucie said: "None of the pens had a lying area that was clean, comfortable and well drained."

As officers continued their inspection, they found two carcasses of pigs lying in slurry. A ministry vet estimated that one had been lying there for at least two weeks and the other for about 10 days.

Nigel Godsiffe, defending, said his client earned a derisory income from pig farming. He said Bourne was already paying off court costs of £1,000 at £50 a month after pleading guilty to a similar offence at North and West Wiltshire magistrates in February.

He said: "I don't understand why he just doesn't give up farming."

Bourne told the court he had been ill with flu shortly before the offence and could not afford to employ anyone.

He said: "I feel I have let myself down. The main problem is that I had flu and it took a lot longer to get round to the animals than it should do.

"I felt I had to do the most important jobs, making sure they had enough to eat and drink but I could not cope with the muck outside."

Presiding magistrate Terry Fell said that society was very concerned about animal welfare but he understood that farmers were suffering badly.

Handing down a 30-month conditional discharge, Mr Fell added he expected Bourne to maintain the standards of animal welfare he had agreed to. He was ordered to pay £1,000 prosecution costs.

After the case, trading standards officer John Devlin said: "Although the farming community is going through a very bad period, there is no excuse for the neglect of animals."