CHARLIE'S PORKIES?
Sausages made from devastated kids’ pigs ‘were once bought by Prince Charles’
Headmaster of Priestlands School in Lymington, Hampshire, says royal once bought bangers made by students
PRINCE Charles has enjoyed sausages from pigs slaughtered in a controversial school scheme, its headmaster has claimed.
The royal is said to have once snapped up a packet of bangers made by students at Priestlands School in Lymington, Hants.
9
It has come under fire today for the initiative which sees pupils rear piglets before sending them to slaughter in order to teach them “where their food comes from”.
Headmaster Chris Willsher said: "It really is a shame that this programme has come to people's attention this way.
"We have been doing this for around ten years now and even Prince Charles has had sausages from the pigs we have raised."
It’s understood the Prince bought a packet of the bangers when they were first produced in 2008.
9
9
Mr. Willsher told Good Morning Britain today how death threats have been made after a petition against the scheme was launched.
He said: "I don't condemn the thousands of vegans and vegetarians who have genuine principles and have signed that petition.
"But it has also attracted some, another element for those who think it's appropriate to phone the school and issue that kind of abuse.
"That I find scary."
9
9
He said that the students were under "no illusion" as to what would happen to the animals after they were bred, saying that the school would now consult its parents to determine if the programme would continue.
Mother-of-five Kenna Hockley, whose son attends the school, said it did not make sense that the pigs would not be sent to a sanctuary which had offered to take them.
The 53-year-old told The Sun Online: "The thing is, those unhappy with the pig programme are not being listened to here.
9
9
"Even if they were only a minority, they should still have a voice."
She added: "In some ways it's great for the kids to work with animals, but to allow them to get close to the pigs and then take them off for slaughter is not good."
The school was thrown into the spotlight when parents started a petition, calling for the piglets to be taken to a sanctuary.
Parent Vincent Cook told Sun Online he was completely "shocked" when he found out where the piglets were headed.
TWIST IN THE TAIL School sparks outrage by taking in four piglets for pupils to raise and then sending them to the slaughterhouse
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.
9
9
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.
MOST READ UK NEWS
"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."
We pay for your stories! Do you have a story for The Sun Online news team? Email us at [email protected] or call 0207 782 4368 . We pay for videos too. Click here to upload yours.