A FARMER has been given a conditional discharge by Devizes 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.

The breaches included 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.

The court was told Bourne was already paying off court costs of £1,000 for a similar offence to which he pleaded guilty at West Wiltshire Magistrates' Court in February of this year.

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

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

Gary Lucie, prosecuting on behalf of Trading Standards, told Devizes Magistrates Court on Monday 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 day before.

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

In other pens, pigs were found up to their knees in slurry.

Mr Lucie said: "Experts agree a nursing sow needs between 15 and 20 litres of water a day and this sow would have been dehydrated.

"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 one had been lying there for at least two weeks and the other for about ten days.

Magistrates were shown video evidence taken on the day which showed the pigs in the conditions described by Mr Lucie.

Nigel Godsiffe, defending, said his client earned a derisory income from pig farming.

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 couldn't afford to employ anyone to help him.

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 the pens.

"I can understand Trading Standards being appalled at what they saw but I was getting round the essential work and to a large extent I achieved this."

He said he had now reduced the size of his herd and was coping much better.

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

In handing down a 30-month conditional discharge, Mr Fell said he expected Bourne to maintain the standards of animal welfare he had agreed to.

He was ordered to pay £1,000 prosecution costs which will be added to the amount he already owes.

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."