School Commissioner Dr Elizabeth Sidwell visited Peasenhall Primary School where they are rearing their own pigs.
Peasenhall: Pig rearing project receives high profile support
By Craig Robinson
Thursday, March 14, 2013
12:08 PM
A PRIMARY school project in which pupils are helping to rear pigs before sending them off to the butcher’s has received high profile support.
The smallholding at Peasenhall Primary School, to teach youngsters about the food chain, has led to hate mail and hundreds of complaints from animal rights groups – forcing teachers to contact police.
Suffolk Coastal MP Therese Coffey said she thought it was disgraceful the school had been victim to such behaviour, while Suffolk’s celebrity pig farmer Jimmy Doherty described the project as “fantastically forward thinking”.
The three pigs, crosses between Berkshire and Gloucester Old Spots, are kept in a pen and fed and monitored by the children with the help of parents and experts from Suffolk Smallholder Society. The project, run in conjunction with Suffolk-based Cook With Me Kids, has received widespread publicity.
Dr Coffey said: “Pig farming is an industry we are famous for. We are a rural county and it is refreshing the school are teaching our young people about where food comes from in such an innovative way. It is disgraceful the school has been a victim of threatening behaviour from people that are opposed to this project, especially as it is promoting high standards of animal welfare. I hope these threats will now end and I am sure the police will intervene if it continues.”
Mr Doherty, who runs The Essex Pig Company at Wherstead, near Ipswich, and is a passionate supporter of local produce, said: “I’ve been very lucky to travel around the world filming and experiencing a variety of cultures. One thing they all have in common is knowledge of where their food comes from.
“I think what Peasenhall is doing is fantastically forward-thinking. The scheme is promoting animal welfare and educating children about where our food comes from. It’s great this is happening in Suffolk, one of the best pig producing regions in the country.”
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3 comments
@Terence and Lesley, and all the other anti this project. I seriously cannot believe these events. I myself born and raised in Suffolk on a farm, I have dealt with the death of cat,dogs,horses sheep, etc. As an educator as well, I truly believe that education is the way forward. I have seen some horrific images of animal cruelty through the web and animal abuse some including the skinning of dogs alive in China, I recently witnessed, the starvation of horses, the stabbing of animals in zoo's by their keepers. So if you truly believe that "raising" a few pigs in a school treated with love respect and the entire educational process of learning compared some of the inhumane things people are doing all over the country and let alone the world. Let me tell you that during the recession many people who had pets have abandoned them, due to cost of food, others have hoped their petanimals would get better to save paying the vet bill, but unfortunately their animals died and yet you are picking on a school ............. for investing time, money, love, education and a good life for a few pigs? Of course humans get attached to objects especially living things this is why we are human. However being human is also apart of letting go, why do parents tell their children their pets have gone to a better place or gone to a caring home. It is to shelter them from the truth unfortunately that dearly beloved pet is dead. Valuable lessons need to be learned, either in a controlled environment such as school or home....... the horrific truth is that humans are cruel, humans do treat animals with disrespect cruelty, etc. Invest your time into focusing on the real abusers in the county, the country, the world. Stop the hatred ....... you have not been involved in these projects, all you anti-project know is the media OOO animal rights OOoo no, not our children pfffff NIMBY's the lot of you. If you dont know what that means go look it up. I have seen these projects in schools across in Coventry and Devon with much success. My point of view: stop ragingcomplaining the project is going to have support and anti ...... thus is any decision that people don't like change..... See it work .... if not go self educate your children and stop moaning. Chris
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Chris Roche
Friday, March 15, 2013
HIGH PROFILE,THE CHILDREN CONCERNED WILL NOT GROW UP ANY WISER .THEY WILL MAKE A GREAT FUSS OF THE PIGS AND THEN THEY WILL BE GONE.LIKE TAKING YOUR BEST FRIEND AWAY.DOHERTY WOULD PRAISE THE IDEA HE WILL SELL THEM MORE PIGS.
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TERENCE MANNING
Thursday, March 14, 2013
You would think after the way children at Lydd Primary in Kent were horribly upset and traumatised by the killing of Marcus the Sheep, that this would NOT be allowed to happen again.. well done Peasenhall for traumatising yet more children who will get attached to the pigs and be devastated once they go to be killed.. this is not only animal abuse it is child abuse too!
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Lesley Dove
Thursday, March 14, 2013