Pigs shot by officials left for public to discover, says councillor

A councillor has said she is "aghast at the cruelty" after a pair of abandoned pigs were shot by government officials who then left the bodies behind.

Bróna Haughey said a family, who had been feeding the pigs regularly after they turned up near a scenic viewpoint in County Armagh, found the dead animals.

The Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (Daera) said the pigs were suffering and euthanasia was deemed necessary for their welfare.

Haughey has written to Daera Minister Andrew Muir to ask for clarification on whether alternatives were properly explored.

"I just feel this action was a bit rash," she said.

"Two innocent animals who had been abandoned in the first place. Then being looked after, with the possibility of rescue, to just be shot on site and then left there for the public to see.

"I feel the department needs to answer questions."

The pigs were roaming near the townland of Tassagh and when Haughey first heard about them, she began looking at rescue options.

She said she was reluctant to post about them online as there had previously been similar cases of animal abandonment in the area and she worried someone would then harm the animals.

But by the time a charity got back in touch with her with a plan for the pigs, the animals had already been put down.

"It's caused significant upset in the community because these animals were being fed by a number of families," the councillor said.

A Daera spokesperson said it was impossible to trace who owned the pigs or to secure proper care for them.

"The animals in question were found to be abandoned, recumbent, in distress and lacked any form of identification," they said.

"In situations like this, where pigs are left unattended, unidentified and suffering, Daera must act based on welfare concerns and statutory powers."

They added that after careful assessment and with no suitable alternatives, euthanasia was deemed necessary for the pigs welfare.

"Members of the public should not attempt to feed farmed animals, including pigs, household waste," they said.

"To do so may result in the spread of disease and threatens the high animal health status of Northern Ireland."

Daera asked people to instead report any straying or abandoned farmed animals to them.

Dr Grace Carroll, an expert in animal behaviour and welfare at Queen's University, said the pigs looked to have been a "hardy breed".

While feral pigs are found across Great Britain, particularly in Scotland, this is the only case Caroll has heard of in recent times on the island of Ireland.

"From a welfare perspective they were in their ideal habitat. They would have been having the time of their lives," she said.

"Bio-security seems to have been the main concern."

Feeding pigs pigswill - a mixture of food scraps, kitchen waste and catering leftovers – is banned in the UK and Europe to prevent the spread of diseases like foot-and-mouth disease and swine fever.

"That's how outbreaks start," Carroll said.

"The public should be aware of that because I'd be tempted to look after them as well if I found them."

Haughey asked the council, who use an independent contractor, to remove the pigs' bodies.

"I'm aghast at how this has came about. I don't think that possibility of rescue and veterinary care was followed," Haughey added.