A HEADLAND in St Martin has been ‘decimated’ by a problematic pig farm, an honorary police officer from the parish has said.
The keeping and rearing of pigs has caused ‘visible harm’ to an area of woodland that sits within the Coastal National Park near the former Bistro Frère restaurant on Grande Route de Rozel, according to a formal order served on landowner Jason Meyer, while a separate land-condition notice alleges that multiple timber and metal-frame structures have been erected without planning permission.
Mr Meyer has until 10 March to remove the pigs from that part of the site after losing a planning appeal.
The order states: ‘The keeping and rearing of pigs within the woodland directly to the east of Field MN88 has caused visible harm to the area of woodland, leaving it without ground-covering vegetation and undermining the roots of the remaining trees. This represents a loss of amenity in respect of the woodland, which is not agricultural land, which is being adversely affected by the condition or use of the land, as set out in Article 86 of the Planning and Building (Jersey) Law 2002.’
Centenier Gordon Jones said: ‘If you look at the headland, it’s been decimated.’
He added: ‘We do not have a problem with the pigs.
‘There are three other pig farms in St Martin, and we do not have any problems with them. We have a problem with the state of the site.’
He said he also had concerns for the welfare of the pigs.
Constable Karen Shenton-Stone said she first encountered the problem when she took office in 2018, calling it a ‘long-running saga’ in a recent article.
Mr Jones said they had first received complaints regarding the farm in 2015. The parish’s Chef de Police previously wrote to those living in the area asking for an impact statement outlining how the presence of the animals might have affected them, and Mr Jones said they had received numerous responses.
He also said the smell from the farm was disturbing neighbours, especially during hot summer months.
