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A PIG farm at the centre of neglect allegations from undercover animals rights activists has been given a clean bill of health.

However, Government officials will make further checks at another farm visited in secret by members of Vegetarians International Voice for Animals! (Viva).

Viva investigators said they found pigs with no bedding and more than ten dead animals when they inspected Westfield Farm, in Eryholme, near Darlington, last month.

The group passed its findings to the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra), which confirmed it would investigate.

The British Pig Executive (Bpex) also announced that independent inspectors would visit the farm.

These inspections have now been carried out and both organisations have given the farm a clean bill of health.

Viva investigators also visited Westfield Piggeries, in Sherburn, North Yorkshire.

The group said it found sows and piglets without bedding or any materials that allowed the pigs to carry out natural rooting behaviour. Campaigners said that was illegal.

Video footage was taken of dead piglets, pigs covered in flies and a crippled piglet struggling across a pen to get to its mother.

The farm was also visited by officials from Defra and inspectors from the Farm Assurance scheme.

Bpex, which condemned activists for compromising biosecurity with their secret filming, said inspectors found no breaches of regulations at the farm.

However, Defra confirmed it would make follow-up visits to the farm to ensure bosses were meeting regulations on material for the pigs to root in.

Peter Gibbon, who farms at Westfields Farm, Eryholme, has rejected all claims by Viva He declined to comment yesterday.

Richard Bradley, from Westfield Piggeries, in Sherburn, also declined to comment on the claims.

Juliet Gellatley, the director of Viva, said neglect and bad practices were ingrained in the British pig industry, and said: "The vast majority of the British public would be deeply shocked if they saw in person where their pork came from."

9:48am Saturday 12th April 2008

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