Page 9 - Hillside 2015 20th Anniversary Newsletter

2001 Hillside Reported Foot and Mouth Farm
TWO MONTHS BEFORE disease was detected...

For us, the worst thing about the whole Foot and Mouth disaster premises. Instead we reported our concerns to the appropriate

was the fact that Burnside Farm (where the origins of the outbreak authorities, expecting them to investigate.

were traced) was the subject of a Hillside Farm Animal Investigation The farm was inspected by Trading Standards and MAFF (now
just weeks before. We had received reports of rotting carcasses DEFRA) but they claimed they could find no prosecutable offences.
amongst live pigs, piglets being eaten alive by other pigs and sickly During a further annual inspection, again nothing was done to
looking pigs indicating the possibility of a disease being present. improve conditions on the farm. Only two months later, Burnside

Our background research on the Waugh brothers, who ran the farm was identified as the origin of the Foot and Mouth outbreak,

farm, revealed that they had previously been evicted from a pig farm after meat was traced from Cheale meats, where the disease was

by a local council and picture evidence of their old farm revealed first found in February 2001, back to Burnside Farm.

pigs living in absolute squalor. As we watched events unfold, we were horrified that the farm,

When we arrived at the farm we could see possibly contaminated reported by Hillside, and twice inspected, was allowed to remain free

swill, which was being fed to the pigs. We later discovered that this to transport foot and mouth diseased animals to slaughterhouses.

swill had come from a number of Sunderland schools. After Waugh was later prosecuted for failing to alert the authorities about

carefully considering the situation, we decided not to enter the the disease but not for keeping his pigs suffering in squalor.

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