An animal rights group claim they have spent three months investigating a pig farm (Picture: SWNS)

A farmer has slammed a group of vegans for trespassing onto his land to hold a sit-in protest.

Around 80 campaigners from animal rights group ‘Meat The Victims’ stormed Moss Rose Piggeries after claiming to have carried out a three-month long investigation.

They say the pigs were forced to live in unsanitary conditions and on wet tiled flooring which caused a clear slipping hazard.

The activists also claimed a number of animals were injured and had untreated proplapses.


Farmer Wayne Baguley said the farm had been thoroughly inspected by the relevant authorities and that he had nothing to hide.

They claimed that the pigs were regularly forced to live in unsanitary conditions, and wet tiled flooring meant there was a clear slipping hazard (Picture: SWNS)

But the farmer has disputed the claims (Picture: SWNS)

Since the investigation the farm has been inspected three times, and passed every time (Picture: SWNS)

He said: ‘Meat The Victims came this morning. I asked them to leave politely. They said they weren’t leaving and I’d have to phone the police, and that’s what I did.



‘They said the pigs were not kept in a good state and tried to encourage me into a confrontation, but I rose above it.

‘It’s their right to protest if they want to do that, but I don’t think they should have the right to trespass on anybody’s property.’

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Mr Baguley, from Blackpool, said the farm had been inspected three times by the DEFRA, Red Tractor and the companies they supply to since the investigation.

He said: ‘Meat The Victims’ are supposed to have been before two or three months ago, but it was in the night.

‘I have been inspected three times since they supposedly came and there was one incident in one inspection that two of the 90 water drinkers for the pigs were blocked.

The group have been sitting in the farm in protest (Picture: SWNS)

Vegans claim cockroaches were found in the pig’s food (Picture: SWNS)

A vet will be visiting the farm in the following days (Picture: SWNS)

‘We check the water every day so it would have been found, but we hadn’t got to that point.

‘My vet will be arriving soon to check on the pigs’ welfare. He came a few weeks ago and it all passed.

‘We reclaim waste food to feed our pigs on. They lie outside in the yard; in hot weather, they will lie in their own mess to keep cool like they do in the fields.’

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Moss Rose Piggeries is a ‘Red Tractor approved’ farm, which means its product quality has been certified by a food regulation organisation called Assured Food Standards.

One campaigner, who wanted to remain anonymous, said: ‘From looking over the Red Tractor documentation for pigs, we believe Moss Rose are in violation of a number of guidelines.

‘They include risk to animal welfare, vermin control, unhygienic conditions, lack of dry lying areas, inappropriate flooring, unsuitable access to food and water, unsuitable feed, lack of environmental enrichment and more.

‘We also believe the farm are in violation of DEFRA guidelines including unsuitable hygiene, husbandry and accommodation and inadequate care of sick and injured animals.’

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