A pig-farming group has called for a director of Australian Pork Limited to be stood down until charges of animal cruelty against him are heard in court.

Neil Ferguson is due to appear in Midlands Magistrates Court in Western Australia on July 1. He has been charged with being cruel to an animal, namely a pig, which suffered harm that could have been alleviated by the taking of reasonable steps under section 19(1) and 19(3)(h) of the Animal Welfare Act 2002.

Ferguson also chairs the WA Agriculture Produce Commission (Pork Committee) and is on the Committee of Pork Training WA.

Westpork piggery, managed by Ferguson, was raided by police in 2007 amid claims that some pigs at the facility had eaten others which had died in the pens.

"This is an embarrassing situation for the Australian pork industry," said a statement from Australian Pig Farmers, which represents small-scale piggeries.

"This cannot be dismissed as an isolated incident and Mr Ferguson should be stood down from the Board of APL until this matter is heard in court."

Westpork operates the biggest piggery in WA, with more than 40,000 animals on site every day. It is also the State’s biggest producer of pork, providing 150,000 animals a year and accounting for 30% of local pork supplies.