Countryside Agency slams pigs

30 July 1999

Countryside Agency slams pigs

OUTDOOR pig farming and plastic mulches in field-scale crops have been criticised by the governments statutory body championing rural causes.

The comments appeared in one of a series of regional studies by the Countryside Agency, called the Countryside Character Initiative.

The report on East Anglia calls for clumps of trees to be planted around isolated farmsteads in the Fens to “soften” their impact on the landscape.

But conservationists in the region believe the traditional farmsteads contribute to the landscape and should not be hidden.

Outdoor pig units and the field-scale use of plastic film to limit weed growth and cut pesticide use, were criticised by the agency for changing the rural landscape.

“We merely want to point out that these have the potential to harm the landscape in some areas,” said spokesman David Vose.

“We think there should be a discussion about these issues.”

National Farmers Union spokesman Mike Hollingsworth said it was inevitable that the countryside would change over time.

“Consumers say they like meat from outdoor pigs because they perceive it to be more welfare friendly and I would be surprised if they object on visual grounds.”

Mr Hollingsworth said plastic mulches were used only for short periods and were not changing the landscape in any permanent sense.

Philip Lymbery, spokesman for Compassion in World Farming, said livestock systems had great potential to achieve high standards of animal welfare.

“This kind of system should be given a high priority and allowed to expand,” he added.