A sweet pig at auction whom rescuers bid $4,700 to save instead got sent to the slaughterhouse, with the venue and organizers citing entrenched policies from which they said they would not budge.
Bella B. Swine - photo credit: Rescuelife via Instagram
A sweet pig at auction whom rescuers bid $4,700 to save instead got
sent to the slaughterhouse, with the venue and organizers citing
entrenched policies from which they said they would not budge.
Meg and Eric Weinberger went to the South Florida Fair with the goal
of rescuing a pig raised through the 4-H agriculture program and
transporting her to their animal sanctuary, the Rescue Life
Sanctuary in Palm Beach Gardens. They instantly locked eyes with
Bella B. Swine, a dark-colored pig, and placed a winning bid of
$4,700.
The couple was initially overjoyed, believing they would soon be
bringing Bella home. Instead, to their astonishment, the fair
managers said the couple could only accept Bella presented as 186
pounds of meat, or their bid would be rejected and the pig would
still be sent to a local slaughterhouse.
The Weinbergers were heartbroken. They had already envisioned Bella
enjoying the sun and outdoors along with the other animals at the
sanctuary.
“It did not say it was a slaughter-only auction, otherwise we’d have
turned around and walked away,” Meg Weinberger told The Guardian.
“Other fairs in Florida allow auction winners to take the animals
with them. You can keep the meat, donate the meat or take the animal
home.”
Meg Weinberger called the Florida Department of Agriculture, which
reportedly told her there should be an option of a private sale that
would allow her to buy a live animal.
But no amount of money would have convinced fair officials to allow
Bella B. Swine to leave the auction alive, President and CEO of the
fair, Vicki Chouris, told news.
“The animals sold off are part of a lesson to children on how to
become farmers,” Chouris said. “The process is they raise the
animals for food consumption. That is the reason why.”
After the fair refused to allow the rescuers to pay and take Bella
home, Meg called the local slaughterhouse to see if they would be
willing to sell her the pig. She hit another brick wall.
“They called me back and said they weren’t willing to lose their
contract with the state fair over one pig,” Meg Weinberger told
news.
Bella B. Swine was raised and named by a teenage girl, who became
upset about the dispute, according to news reports.
Earlier this year, Lady Freethinker also reported on
Cedar, a charismatic goat raised in a 4-H program by a
young girl who became attached to him and begged her parents to
allow her to withdraw Cedar from the auction. Her parents offered to
pay their local fair Cedar’s going price to be allowed to keep him
alive, and the fair refused — causing heartbreak to the young girl
and her family. The family has since sued, with their case pending
in court.
We at LFT wish no pigs or other animals had to die tragically at
auction and hope no other family has to go through so much
heartbreak — or needless hassle — for trying to save a life.
ACTION:
To support the Weinbergers’ cause and help usher in more
compassionate policies for all animals and the youth who raise them,
please respectfully write to the South Florida Fair and the 4-H
program to encourage them to allow for rescuers who bid at these
auctions to take home the live animal. Please remember to keep your
message peaceful and compassionate.
Contact 4-H:
https://4-h.org/contact/
Contact South Florida Fair:
https://www.southfloridafair.com/p/thefair/contact-us