to be miffed neighbours are keeping pigs?

[lamp74]

I just noticed today the neighbours behind us have started keeping pigs. I think this is a pretty recent thing as they did a lot of work in their garden before Christmas. There are usually v thick Holly bushes stopping our garden overlooking theirs and I don't generally stare out of the window into their garden, it was just I noticed the movement of 3 large-ish animals!

DS (aged 4) was in the garden yesterday and commented "it smells like a farm" when you go near our fence, have to admit I've not smelled anything yet but I have a bunged up nose. As our garden is really small I'd estimate the pigs are probably about 8 meters from our house at the most. Their garden is very long as we back on to them.

AIBU to think (while I actually don't object in principle to the pigs) that it's going to stink to high heaven in the summer so it's better to complain now before they say "well we've had them 6 months"...? Is it even legal to keep pigs in your back garden?

I've no idea if it's legal or not.
Unless some bright spark who does know comes on, I'd give your Local Authoritys' Animal Health Officer a ring in the morning and ask them.

Pigs dont need to smell too much if they are being kept properly and looked after. Many councils do not allow pigs/cows/horses and even chickens to be kept at family homes though.

They'll be gone in a few months.

they'll be bacon long before summer

I think it is legal and I would be a bit jealous . We have chickens though. Three pigs will really trash the garden especially if they escape!

Are they registered with Defra? They should be if keeping pigs.

Pigs need to be kept a certain distance from kitchens including neighbours. My sister wanted to keep pigs at bottom of her huge garden but as the neighbours front door and kitchen was opposite she couldn't!

It's not legal, they need to register with Defra, as deardear says. You can complain to the council about the smell.

My friend keeps pigs. She told me she had to register as a smallholder.

Hmm, I hadn't thought that they'll be gone soon, though no doubt replaced with new ones if that's the case...

I can believe with proper care that pigs maybe don't pong, but I've no idea if they are the responsible type of pig owner or not!

vjg13 - that also troubles me - the fence at the end of our garden (between us and them) isn't all that great, I reckon a pig could easily force its way through. I have no idea if they've got a decent pen behind it or not.

AIBU as Margot Leadbetter would have written it

Not all councils allow the keeping of pigs, so I would check with them first.

I found this:
Schedule 2 of the Local Government (General) Regulation 2005 states that ?. . . swine must not be kept (and swine?s dung must not be deposited) within 60 m of a dwelling, shop, office, factory, church or other place of public worship, workshop, school or public place in a city, town, village or other urban part of an area.? This means you need to own more than 1.5 hectares of land.

Your neighbours also need to register the pigs with DEFRA.

This might help.

Thanks bunbaker - I shall have a read when dinner is finished... thanks to others for their suggestions too.

I'll start with the council tomorrow and see what they say... our deeds specifically say no fowl (shame as I'd have liked some Chickens!) so I'm surprised that they've got pigs - guess their deeds are different or something?

haha gwendoline - one feels one shall have to tell Barbara and Tom that keeping swine next to one's Begonias is simply not on! [:)]

The pigs themselves don't smell but their muck sure does, where is their muck heap? They do need to be registered and insured against them escaping and causing damage to gardens etc or accidents on the road. Would love to have enough land for animals, sounds like their plot is a bit small though, will be a quagmire in the rain once the pigs have rooted it all up.

My step gran used to have a pig that lived in the house and slept on the end of her bed. It was a minuture brand of some sort and she installed a pig flap for it so it would go outside. She had no designs on turning it into dinner though.

LMAO at the names of Gordon Ramsey's pigs Never been keen on those two