PIG FARMER UNFIT TO SELL PORK

MIKE FAIRGRIEVE - Evening Express

16:00 - 05 December 2003 
  
A North-east pig producer was today banned from 
selling pork by the industry's quality assurance 
body. 

Quality Meat Scotland (QMS) has withdrawn its farm 
assurance certificate from Whiterashes-based 
Scotpigs.

A spokeswoman said Arthur Simmers of Scotpigs 
failed to meet its animal welfare standards.

He has now been thrown out of the QMS assurance 
scheme.

The move comes three weeks after the Scotpigs unit 
at Pittrichie had its certificate withdrawn.

Repeated attempts to contact Mr Simmers for comment 
today were unsuccessful.

The QMS spokeswoman said: "Last year we kicked out 
his Ormiston unit in West Lothian from our scheme 
over welfare issues.

"We have no confidence in his management systems 
and this week withdrew certificates from all his 
remaining units."

She explained that the QMS scheme has 100% coverage 
in Scotland and Scotpigs will no longer be able to 
sell its pork here.

QMS later said the Scottish pig industry is rightly 
proud of its high standards of animal welfare, 
health and hygiene.

The spokeswoman said it was coincidental that 
animal rights group Advocates for Animals recently 
shot footage at three Scotpigs farms.

Yvonne Taylor of Advocates for Animals said the 
farms secretly investigated were Mains of Bogfechel 
and Woodlands, in Aberdeenshire, Muir of Pert in 
Tayside and Ormiston Farm in West Lothian.

Arthur Simmers is to stand trial in March, accused 
of allowing farm slurry to enter the Tarty Burn.

The incident is alleged to have happened at 
Woodlands Farm, Udny, on April 23 last year.

Simmers, 62, of Mains of Bogfechel, Whiterashes, 
denies knowingly permitting poisonous, noxious or 
polluting matter to enter a tributary of the Tarty 
Burn via a field drain.

Trial is set for March 15 and 16.

Simmers' company, Scotpigs, is also charged with a 
second, separate offence. It is alleged Scotpigs 
failed to dispose of pig carcasses by an approved 
method on October 8, 2002, at Podrach Farm, 
Oldmeldrum. A hearing will be held next month.