State veterinarian Dr. Don Hoenig said all seems in order at a Whitefield farm that prompted December complaints from the neighbors about possible animal abuse.
A state humane agent recently visited the property of Robert Barnes, on the East River Rd. in Kings Mills, and found both shelter and feed “adequate,” Hoenig said. “There were no animal welfare issues.”
However, a livestock inspector will make a visit by mid-week, he said.
While there are no written standards for sheltering pigs, Hoenig said the Dept. of Agriculture expects livestock owners to follow, “best management practices.” When a complaint is lodged, inspectors from the Dept. of Agriculture’s Animal Health and Industry division investigate.
Norma Worley, director of agriculture’s Animal Welfare Program, confirmed that a humane agent visited the property about 10 days ago. She expressed confidence that conditions comply with animal welfare law, but “because of the farm side of things, we want to make sure shelter and feed meet standards. They have to be adequate.” Photographs taken by the agent did not reveal “natural shelter” for the pigs but wooden structures were apparent, Worley said. “We need to make sure there’s protection from the weather. The pigs were in good flesh and had food and water,” she stated.
Lincoln Country Deputy Sheriff Mark Bridgham said he visited Barnes’ property on New Year’s Day. The officer was responding to a complaint made by Doug Wright of Whitefield.
In a report containing photos filed with the town selectmen Monday evening, Bridgham wrote that he saw “three large pigs walking about a large, almost 300-yard-square patch of property.” One pig was “hiding in a large gray wooden shelter at the front of the property,” and as Bridgham walked to Barnes’ residence down a dirt drive, he saw two more pigs emerge from woods. “Neither looked abused or harmed in any way.”
Bridgham approached Barnes, whom he described as “pleasant,” and learned he intended to take one of the pigs to slaughter “as soon as he fattened her up. The other two were to remain with him for future farming.”
Reached by phone Tuesday, the officer said he couldn’t be “absolutely accurate” in saying the pigs’ shelter is sufficient or that fowl in small pens, or geese and ducks in an unpenned area, were being properly cared for. Bridgham said he lacks expertise regarding such matters, which “normally don’t fall into our jurisdiction. I’m basing it on what I saw.”
Because the complaint concerned pigs, he focused on those animals and observed two shelters, one of which, a large lean-to, is not visible from the road. As he was leaving, he spotted two of the pigs feeding in what he described as a “hardcover – like plastic – awning” among the trees.
Jan. 1 was cold, with a wind blowing, “but the pigs weren’t distressed,” he said.
There are probably many areas in Whitefield, Bridgham said, where similar or worse conditions might be found. Barnes’ operation is very noticeable, however. The land stretches along a main road (Rt. 218) and is highly visible to passersby, he commented.
One of those passersby, Lore Ford, lives a short distance north of Barnes. He said he was “greatly troubled” by the exposure of numerous caged fowl to the elements. More troubling to him was the predicament of the pigs that were standing in the open with little apparent protection from wind and precipitation. Ford said his offer to build a shelter, at his own expense, and fill it with bedding was rebuffed. About the time of the Dec. 21 blizzard, he took further action by visiting and filing a complaint with the Dept. of Agriculture in Augusta. From there the matter went to the Animal Welfare Program and Worley sent a humane agent to check things out.
ACO woes
Ordinarily, local animal control officers would be expected to respond to complaints such as Ford and Wright lodged.
Whitefield has been struggling for more than a year to retain an animal control officer. Between 2007 and 2008, Ken Paradis and Brian Shorey served about six months each before resigning. In addition, the town has been legally embroiled for about a year with Paradis’ predecessor, Josh Mooers, concerning failure to return equipment the town paid for and owns.
Last fall, when Shorey, who had not been answering his phone for weeks, left the position, Selectman Kurt Miller temporarily became the person to call with animal complaints. Monday evening, Miller pounced on an application for the ACO job that came in the mail that day.
The demand for effective ACOs is rising, according to officials, even as low pay, travel expenses and erratic hours for filling the post persist.
“It’s a statewide problem and it’s not a big stipend position,” Bridgham said. “It’s a lot of work. Some ACOs are aggressive and some are reluctant to take action.”
Many are not available during the day because they hold regular jobs. Some overstep their bounds, selectman McCormick remarked.
The state’s Worley commented, “A lot of ACOs are not as trained in animal welfare issues as our agents. We help as much as we can with limited staff.” She said complaints to her office have increased from about 60 in 2002 to 900 in 2008. She attributes the increase to what she called “positive publicity.”
“People know who they can call. Maybe they weren’t as confident before.” The problem, however, is that the number of agents – six for the entire state – has remained the same. With one agent assigned to kennel inspections, five are left to cover the rest of the state. “So each of them is handling 500 square miles,” she said.
