Is it a good idea for a primary school to kill the pigs that were reared for meat by the children? Animal welfare activists think it is a bad idea and there is an online petition against the slaughter which has acquired 2,000 signatures.
Peter Harris, the head teacher of Farsley Fairfield primary in Leeds said the idea was to teach children about the food chain and animal welfare. These are clearly laudable objectives.
So what do I think? Well, firstly it must be rare for primary school children or indeed any students to raise livestock as part of their school work. It is a good idea.
If they are told they are going to be involved in what is effectively farm work, it seems inevitable that the end stage will be the slaughter of livestock if the animals are reared for meat.
If the children and their parents are told at the outset that the pigs are going to be slaughtered by the school it seems that it must be okay. They will have time to prepare mentally for it and we have to be realistic at an early stage so students can fit in with the real world of work when they leave college.
Perhaps it will convert some of them to veganism and if so it’ll be a successful plan because for a number of reasons, one of which is global warming, it is time to reduce the cattle population size on the planet.
One pupil Charlotte Heap, 11, said that everyone at the school understands that the pigs are destined for slaughter and she defends the plan. She said that the school is one of the best in the city. And she also confirms that parents were consulted and that no one is upset. Well that’s the end of the matter.
