Woman sentenced after 'severely neglecting' three pigs in Aberdeenshire village

A woman has been sentenced after “severely neglecting” three pigs in a village in Aberdeenshire.

Gillian Moir, from Oldmeldrum, pled guilty to two charges at Aberdeen Sheriff Court and was sentenced to a 12-month community payback order, a disqualification order of ten years and fined £300.

Moir admitted to causing an adult sow unnecessary suffering by failing to provide an adequate nutritional diet, which led to her becoming emaciated.

Moir also admitted to causing suffering to a further two pigs by failing to protect them from disease and neglecting to provide effective parasite control, causing them to have itchy and inflamed skin.

The disqualification order includes:

Owning or keeping animals with the exception of cats, dogs, sheep and lambs
Dealing in any animals with the exception of sheep and lambs
Transporting animals with the exception of sheep and lambs
Working with or using animals with the exception of cats, dogs, sheep and lambs
Riding or driving animals with the exception of sheep and lambs
Providing any service relating to animals which involves taking possession of animals with the exception of sheep and lambs
Taking possession of animals for the purpose of an activity in respect of which a disqualification mentioned above is imposed
Taking charge of animals for any purpose with the exception of cats, dogs, sheep and lambs

A Scottish SPCA inspector attended an address in Oldmeldrum on April 15, 2025, after a call was made to the charity’s helpline expressing concern for the pigs.

On arrival at the property, the inspector saw two pigs and six piglets outside in an electric-fenced area.

There was also piping coming out of the ground and a cable with an electric plug on the end which was not known to be live or not.

One of the pigs, the large white sow, had visible hip bones, ribs and spine and she had no muscle on her back end.

Her whole back end swayed when moving and her back legs would cross over when walking. She was the mother of the six piglets.

The other pig, a male Saddleback, appeared in reasonable to good condition.

Moir then took the inspector into a shed where there were four other pigs within an inside pen which was bedded with straw and water was available.

Both a male and female kunekune-type pig appeared to have itchy and red skin – the female also had very overgrown hooves.

The inspector also viewed the area where the outdoor pigs had access to. It had a small bedded straw area and was severely unkempt with bits of plastic lying around.

Moir signed over the pigs to the Scottish SPCA, and they were taken to one of the society’s centres.

The Scottish SPCA inspector said: “The condition of these pigs was totally unacceptable. No responsible owner would have let their health deteriorate in such a way. It was extremely saddening to see the sow in such poor condition.”

During a veterinary examination, the sow was found to be severely malnourished with a body condition score of one out of five.

The weight loss is most likely to have occurred over a minimum period due to the higher nutritional requirements of the sow with suckling piglets and the inappropriate feeding of the sow over this time.

There was also evidence of lice and hair loss on her skin.

Following a veterinary exam, the male kunekune pig was found to have reddened, inflamed skin behind the ears and around the neck, as well as areas of hair loss over the body.

The female kunekune pig had inflamed skin on the lower half of her body and almost complete hair loss. All four feet were overgrown and causing her to walk with abnormally flat feet.

The Scottish SPCA has previously been involved with Moir.

In February 2024, Moir was sentenced for animal neglect, where she was banned from keeping all animals except sheep, pigs, cats and dogs for a period of ten years. She was also fined £2,475.

The Scottish SPCA inspector added: “We are disappointed with the outcome and the court’s decision.”

“Given Ms Moir has previously been convicted of animal neglect, to find further animals neglected in this way is extremely disappointing.”