Primary school in UK facing criticism for raising two pigs for slaughter

A primary school in the UK is facing criticism for raising two pigs for slaughter.

Farsley Farfield Primary in Leeds, West Yorkshire has had the pigs on their farm since the beginning of the school term. The project was started with the intention of teaching children about where their food comes from. The school's headteacher, Peter Harris, also hopes it will make students more aware of animal welfare. On the school's website, he wrote:

"The pigs will live twice as long as commercial pigs and appear to be enjoying their outdoor life with plenty of opportunity to root around. Their welfare standards are much higher than most pigs. "I don’t think that we are desensitizing the children: I suggest that our children will be more knowledgeable and sensitive to animal welfare than most of their peers."

Harris added that the pigs were not being treated as pets. Nor have they been named. A former pupil and daughter of a teaching assistant at the school, Ix Willow, has since started a petition to save the pigs from slaughter. They wrote that they were "unhappy" by the news that the school was planning to breed pigs to be slaughtered, and that "... once the pigs have been killed, parents and local people will be able to buy pieces of their dead bodies." "Pigs are more intelligent as dogs, and at least as smart as a three year old human child," Ix argued. "They are friendly animals that can live for about 12 years or so. Yet in the livestock industry they are sent to slaughter as young as six months old, or they can live up to two years old if they are breeding sows." The former student pointed to statistics showing that the UK, and most of the world, consumes far more meat than is sustainable and healthy. They said that as National Healthy School of the Year, Farfield should be encouraging their students to eat less meat for their personal health and to protect the environment. "Schools have a duty of care to support children, teach them fair values and to provide a safe and happy environment for them," they wrote. "By teaching children that it is okay to exploit and kill animals they are in breach of this, and this could also be traumatising for children getting to know the animals and then knowing they are going to die." Ix's petition has already received almost 2,500 signatures. Others, however, have praised headteacher Harris's project online, calling it "a great way for the children to learn the true food cycle." The pigs are due for slaughter next month.