“Abandoned” pigs discovered at a Mellieħa farm which drew concerns from animal welfare activists, are to be confiscated by the authorities, the police have confirmed.

A police spokeswoman told Times of Malta that the farm had been investigated by district police and a Veterinary Regulation Directorate officer, who found the pot-bellied pigs were in good health and being kept as pets with the necessary shelter.

However, as the law states that only two pigs can be kept as pets, the others would be taken by the Veterinary Regulation Directorate, the spokeswoman said.

The environment ministry did not respond to questions on what would become of the pigs once they were confiscated.

The situation was first highlighted last week by the NGO Animal Liberation Malta, which said the pigs had been found starving and dehydrated. The group said that as the pigs were not tagged, they would be destined for slaughter.

Volunteers visited the farm on Thursday with food and water, and wrote to animal welfare parliamentary secretary Clint Camilleri calling for the pigs to be transferred to a petting farm or public area such as Ta’ Qali or Marsascala.

However, Veterinary Regulation Directorate officials said the pigs were in good health and did not show any sign of transmissible disease.

Inspectors found they had access to feed and water and were sufficiently fed, with none showing discomfort. Although none of the pigs were microchipped, in breach of the law, officials said the owner had immediately rectified the situation and that no further action would be taken.

The site where these pigs were kept consisted of a sheltered area made up of three rooms and an uncovered outer area. An automatic drinker was found in one of the rooms and no excess of manure was present.