WHAT A SWINE

THE farmer who started Britain's pounds 20billion foot-and-mouth epidemic is back trading in pigs - just days after he was BANNED from keeping live animals.

Bobby Waugh was fined pounds 10,000 by magistrates and barred for 15 years from having custody of live animals.

He had been convicted of cruelty to animals and failure to notify the authorities of the outbreak of foot-and-mouth at his Northumberland farm.

But on Wednesday morning, less than a month after he was sentenced, Sunday Mirror investigators found Waugh herding pigs on to a lorry at a cattle market in Darlington.

They were bound for the same slaughterhouse - Cheale Meats of Brentwood, Essex - to which his infected pigs first spread the disease last year.

The 55-year-old bachelor helped organise the sale and exchange of 61 pigs and 14 sows worth pounds 5,419.50 at Darlington Farmers' Mart in County Durham. Cheale confirmed to our investigators that Bobby Waugh was "buying" for them.

Waugh and his brother and business partner Ronnie, 59, travelled 30 miles to the market from the terraced house they share in Sunderland.

Ronnie escaped charges relating to the foot-and-mouth outbreak after illness left him unfit to stand trial. But this didn't stop him helping to load and unload a large herd of lively pigs bought from four farms in surrounding villages at Beamish, Billingham, Cleasby and Stockton.

An official in charge of administration at Darlington market told investigators she was aware that Waugh was in the cattle shed with pigs and said she expected to see him again next week.

His actions came just 24 hours after the publication of a damning report into the Government's handling of last year's outbreak.

The epidemic cost Britain pounds 20billion. Four million animals were culled. Waugh's Burnside Farm at Heddon-on-the-Wall was closed down. Yesterday the trading standards officer who brought the action against Waugh demanded he be brought back to court. "It beggars belief that Waugh has gone straight back into the pig business," said Mick King, of Northumberland County Council.

"We only have jurisdiction in Northumberland to enforce the disqualification but we will be contacting colleagues in Darlington to investigate."

During Waugh's case before South East Northumberland Magistrates in May, the court heard how Waugh must have known that his pigs had foot-and-mouth disease - 80 per cent of 527 were infected - but he still allowed them to be sold.

Waugh had fed his pigs untreated swill from local restaurants which still contained plastic knives and forks and a porcelain spoon.

Government investigators also found a pig carcass lying in slurry in the middle of a pen, a second rotting animal on a waste heap, a sheep's backbone and barrels full of body parts.

Mr King added: "Waugh committed the most serious offences a farmer can commit.

"He should not be handling and looking after pigs.

"Waugh has shown that he has little regard for regulation. In my opinion he should not be allowed anywhere near a market - or pigs.

"Livestock markets are critical in terms of disease control. I'm baffled that people in the industry have allowed him back."

When Bobby Waugh was confronted by the Sunday Mirror he said: "Yes, that's me in the picture. So what? I don't want to say anything. Publish the story and I'll sue."

Cheale was unavailable for comment.

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