UK foot-and-mouth farmer guilty

Four million animals were slaughtered during Britain's foot-and-mouth outbreak

LONDON, England -- The British pig farmer accused of starting the country's devastating foot-and-mouth outbreak has been found guilty of failing to tell officials that his herd had the virus.

Bobby Waugh, 56, of Sunderland, north-eastern England, denied 16 charges relating to the health and welfare of his pigs, brought by Northumberland County Council Trading Standards Department.

Judge James Prowse on Thursday found Waugh guilty of five counts of failing to notify the authorities of the outbreak at Burnside Farm, Heddon-on-the-Wall, Northumberland, in February last year.

He was also found guilty of one count of feeding unprocessed waste to his animals and one charge of failing to properly dispose of animal by-products.

EXTRA INFORMATION • In depth: UK's foot-and-mouth crisis

Waugh was cleared of two counts of causing unnecessary suffering to pigs, one of bringing unprocessed waste on to the farm and a further three charges of failing to dispose of animal by-products.

A charge of failing to keep records of pig movements was dropped during the three-week trial at South East Northumberland Magistrates Court.

The hearing was adjourned for pre-sentence reports and Waugh was expected to be sentenced at the same court on June 28.

More than four million animals were slaughtered throughout Britain after the wasting disease, which affects cloven-hoofed animals, was first detected in southern England on 20 February last year.

The outbreak devastated Britain's meat export market and its rural tourist industry, and taxpayers were landed with a (£1.4 billion) $2 billion bill for compensation to farmers as well as disinfecting, veterinarian and slaughtering costs.

Britain has had no cases of the disease since last September and was declared foot-and-mouth free by the World Health Organization on January 23.

The Environment Agency said 61,000 tonnes of carcasses were dumped at four mass burial sites, while more were burned on 95 pyre sites.

Foot-and-mouth is harmless to humans but destroys the economic value of livestock. The disease is found throughout the world except in North America and Australia.