Pigs won’t be trotters after race is cancelled

A pig race at a food festival has been cancelled after a petition raising concerns about the animals’ welfare in the hot weather collected 46,873 signatures.

The event had been scheduled to take place at the Winchester Cheese and Chilli Festival on the weekend of August 18 and 19.

The organisers announced the decision to drop the race on the festival’s Facebook page. They said they had sought advice from the RSPCA and other experts in the light of continued high temperatures.

They added the decision was to “protect the wellbeing” of the pigs.