Thieves have taken 600 free-range pigs worth £25,000 from a Staffordshire farm.
They broke into Packington Pork in Hopwas near Tamworth at around 3am on Friday and took the piglets from a field. The animals were herded into a large lorry and driven away.
Now farmer Rob Mercer is considering offering a £5,000 reward for the return of his animals.
Mr Mercer, aged 28, said: “The pigs were just six weeks old, it’s heartless what they have done.
“The value of the pigs is at least £25,000 and they were all due to be sold to butchers.”
He said the theft had devastated everyone at the farm and was a further blow to a struggling business.
“I’m absolutely gutted about this,” he said. “I’ve got no idea who could be behind this. But what I am fairly certain about is that they are probably on someone else’s farm now.”
Packington Pork has been given a Freedom Food certificate by the RSPCA. Pigs live outdoors for their entire life and are never fed additives, growth promoters or antibiotics.
Staffordshire Police are keen to speak to anybody that had any information on the theft .
Spokesman Peter Stevens said : “Unfortunately because it’s such an isolated area there was nobody who heard or saw anything.
“This was obviously a well-planned and executed crime.”
