RCMP in the area around Sussex, N.B., are investigating the theft of 22 pigs that has left a local farmer angry and frustrated.

Investigators say thieves took the pigs last week after smashing the locks on a barn in Knightville, N.B., rented by Moffett's Farms.

The pigs weighed about 23-27 kilograms and are worth about $75 each.

Stephen Moffett says it probably only took the culprit 20 minutes to load them into a truck.

This isn't the first time Moffett's barn has been broken into, and the farmer told CBC News that he's frustrated.

"They used to hang cattle rustlers. It's a shame they can't — don't — still do that ," he said.

"It's still frustrating, this kind of thing."

Moffett said there are ways to identify stolen pigs.

The last time thieves preyed on Moffett's livestock, he said they butchered two pigs right in his barn and made off with the meat. The hogs weighed about 200 pounds each and were too difficult to move, he said.