Priestlands School in Lymington initially said the young pigs would ‘enter the food chain’ in February to teach students about 'where their food comes from'
KIDS have been left devastated after a school taught them how to rear four piglets - then sent them off to SLAUGHTER.
Priestlands School in Lymington, Hampshire, told kids the young pigs would "enter the food chain" in order to teach the students about "where their food comes from".
Parent Vincent Cook told Sun Online he was completely "shocked" when he found out where the piglets were headed.
He said he could not believe he would have to argue to persuade "a secondary school to not commit such a violent act".
After he raised his concerns only to have them dismissed by the school, because he was a "minority", animal rights campaigner Ed Winters launched a to save the piglets.
Pleading for the animals to be sent to a sanctuary instead, Mr Winters said: "In 2018, we should be teaching children compassion towards animals.
"The school has made students and parents uncomfortable, by discriminating against their beliefs by condemning these pigs to death.
"One concerned vegan parent has begged the school over the past few months to send the pigs to a sanctuary as opposed to a slaughterhouse.
"However, the school has now decided to send the pigs back to the farmer, who will then take them to C&S Meats Ltd where they will be slaughtered.
"The school disregarded the parent as 'in the minority' and have decided that the pigs must die."
His campaign which pressured the school to "do the right thing" reached 34,000 signatures within days of its launch.
In a statement, Priestlands School said they decided to hand the pigs back to their original owner, last week.
The school added: "We have always been open and honest about the purpose of the pigs and have had them in our Walled Garden for many years, along with “retired” battery hens, ducks, pygmy goats and orphaned lambs.
"Students voluntarily look after the animals and grow fruit and vegetables in our Walled Garden, which all visitors recognise as a stunning feature of the school.
"We respect the vegan philosophy but Priestlands School is proud to serve the whole community. We want to educate our students about where their food comes from and to do this in a sustainable way as well as preparing students for employment locally.
"Last week, we decided that the best way forward was to hand back the pigs to their original owner.
"The original owner collected the pigs over the weekend, and this enables us to focus on our core purpose of running the school and will allow a proper consultation and discussion on whether we have pigs in the future."
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