A FARMER has been allowed to keep on rearing livestock, despite twice being convicted of animal ill-treatment and not disposing correctly of their carcases.

Animal inspectors found pig carcases on Richard Graham Robinson's farm on two separate occasions, said Claire Taylor, prosecuting at York Magistrates Court. On the first occasion, they also found two pigs which were so badly injured they had to be put down.

Last year Robinson was convicted of similar offences with other pigs. He has more than 600 pigs on his land, as well as 90 to 100 cattle and 95 acres of arable land.

Defence solicitor Akef Akbar said: "These weren't acts of cruelty, they were acts of omission." One of the pigs he had thought was getting better, and he hadn't noticed that the other one was injured.

He hadn't been able to afford the £80 per pig cost of disposing correctly of the carcases because he hadn't received his Single Farm Payment, an agricultural subsidy.

"Keeping them (living animals) alive is more important the looking after the dead ones and keeping the rent paid. That was my priority at the time," said Robinson.

Robinson, 53, of Upper Dunsforth, between York and Boroughbridge, pleaded guilty to two charges of animal ill-treatment and six of failure to dispose correctly of animal carcases. He was ordered to do 160 hours' unpaid work and pay £1,000 prosecution costs to City of York Council which brought the case and a £60 statutory surcharge.

Magistrates decided against making an order banning him from keeping pigs or any other animals, but warned him that if he was convicted for a third time of animal ill-treatment offences, he would almost certainly be banned.

Mr Akbar said Robinson had grown up on a farm and been a farmer all his life. His farm had a turnover of between £70,000 and £80,000 and he expected his financial situation, caused by the loss of the subsidy and the 35 per cent fall in pig prices to improve.

Mrs Taylor said the regulations about animal carcases were aimed at preventing the spread of animal disease and to prevent birds and wild animals getting to the carcases.

A joint Animal Plant Health Agency, City of York Council and vet visit to the farm on October 20 found the injured animals and one carcase. A follow-up visit on February 17 found bones left from the previous visit and three more carcases by a straw bale store.