Dutch food safety inspectors have found 900 dead pigs stacked up outside barn in Winterswijk in eastern Gelderland following a tip-off.

The NVWA has started a criminal investigation into the find but no-one has been arrested, local broadcaster Omroep Gelderland said.

‘We are looking into how this could have happened and are working closely with the police,’ a spokesman said.

There are reportedly no indications that the animals had been neglected and the bodies of the pigs had only been outside for a short time. One option being looked into is a possible failure in the barn ventilation system, the broadcaster said.