UP TO 4,300 pigs are believed to have perished in a fire at a farm in Northern Ireland over the weekend.
Police are investigating the cause of the blaze which broke out shortly before 5.45am on Saturday morning at Bessbrook near Newry in Co Armagh.
Ten units of the Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service were called to the fire, which took seven hours to extinguish.
Some animals were rescued from the farm, but a spokesperson for the NIFRS said some 3,500 piglets and 800 sows died in the blaze. Extensive damage was also caused to the property.
The PSNI said the cause of the fire is still under investigation. However some reports suggest that arson is to blame.
The PSNI have asked anyone with information about the incident to contact them.
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