Winchester City Council pulls the plug on pig racing event

After a local supporter highlighted the event which was set to happen at the Cheese & Chilli Festival on 18th – 20th August, Animal Aid contacted the Mayor of Winchester asking him to intervene.

The pigs were due to be forced to run in front of potentially loud crowds in scorching heat – which would no doubt have caused these sensitive animals undue stress, in addition to the distress and heat produced through transportation.

We have received confirmation by the Senior Animal Welfare Officer for Winchester City Council that the event will no longer take place.

The campaign group Pigs Don’t Race – who campaign against pig racing events – set up a petition that amassed more than 40,000 signatures in a very short space of time.

Animal Aid would like to thank our supporters who alerted us to this event, Pigs Don’t Race for jumping into action, and of course the council who took the animal welfare concerns on board and worked with the organisers to halt the event.