Thousands of pigs killed after fire rips through ‘grow out’ facility at farm near Narrogin, Westpork confirms

Up to 5000 pigs have died or had to be put down after an out-of-control bushfire gutted a pig farm near Narrogin at the weekend. The fire occurred on Sunday at a 10,000-head grow-out facility east of Narrogin, owned by one of Westpork’s long-term contract farmers. Westpork confirmed staff and veterinary consultants joined family farm operators and a significant number of local volunteers to assist with the “difficult process of managing the animal welfare response”. The facility usually houses about 10,000 growing pigs which are kept together in domed or tarpaulin-covered structures with straw bedding after being weaned. ABC’s Country Hour today reported Westpork had confirmed up to half those animals had died in the fire or been put down after being assessed yesterday. In a statement, the company said staff were “overwhelmed by the support of volunteers from neighbouring properties and further afield” who helped with the firefighting effort and animal welfare response — which was continuing today. The Department of Fire and Emergency Services confirmed a pig farm east of Narrogin had received significant damage in the fire but refused to reveal any further details. Narrogin Shire president Leigh Ballard told the ABC initial assessments indicated there was “significant damage” to the property and “some quite large numbers of pigs (killed)”. “I suppose you’ve got to take into context the size of the piggery and the ones that were saved,” Mr Ballard said. “There’s certainly been some losses, but at the same time. . . because of the work of the volunteers there at the time and their ability to manage it, (they) have saved a lot more than they’ve lost.” Mr Ballard praised volunteers’ efforts, saying many had seen “a lot of things you’d never want to see again”. “That’s something we’ve got to work through with every volunteer as well as those farmers — there’s other farmers who have lost livestock as well,” he said. “As a shire, we’ve got to start supporting (them) any way we can.” Mr Ballard estimated farmers in Narrogin shire alone had lost 1700 or more sheep, though the numbers were still being assessed. He said one farmer he had spoken to lost about 500 sheep from a flock of 2500. The intense bushfire was just one of four that burnt through more than 65,000ha of WA’s regional heartland in a hellish weekend. The fires at Denmark, Bridgetown, Corrigin and Wickepin — 57km north east of Narrogin — were on Sunday all at an emergency level at the same time, forcing evacuations. All four blazes had been downgraded by Monday afternoon, with the Wheatbelt fires at Wickepin and Corrigin sitting at the second tier watch and act stage, and the Denmark and Bridgetown blazes at the lowest level of bushfire advice.