A PIG farmer has gone on trial charged with failing to keep records of animal movements just before the foot-and-mouth crisis.

Alan Clement, 58, has pleaded not guilty to 14 charges of failing to keep and failing to produce records of pig movements from his farm in Roddymoor, near Crook, to a County Durham abattoir before the foot-and-mouth outbreak.

Chris Baker, prosecuting on behalf of Durham County Council's consumer department, told Bishop Auckland magistrates yesterday that Mr Clement did not make or maintain records in the appropriate form and without lawful excuse.

He said that on April 11, last year, Mr Clement failed to hand over records for animal movements when asked to do so by trading standards officer Craig Hudson.

Mr Hudson said he had called at Mr Clement's farm twice to ask for the records.

He told the court: "Mr Clement indicated that he wasn't able to produce them at that time and he wouldn't do so willingly to anybody.

"It became clear that we weren't going to get the records. Mr Clement was confrontational and abusive to myself and my colleague, and I gave him the option of taking the records to County Hall or Crook Police Station in 24 hours."

When the documents were not submitted, Mr Hudson said he revisited the farm on April 30, but Mr Clement was still not in a position to produce the documentation.

Records obtained from Thompsons Abattoir showed that pigs had been taken to the premises, said Mr Baker.

Donald MacFaul, on behalf of Mr Clement, said that the prosecution failed to prove that his client either owned or was responsible for the animals that had been transported from West Craig Lea Farm to the abattoir.

He said the case should also be dismissed because Mr Clement had filled in the appropriate paperwork and submitted it at the abattoir.

Magistrates' chairman Harry Fletcher said he felt there was a case to answer and the case was adjourned until Monday.