In our little corner of the world, the cancellation of the “Pig Scramble” at the Lombardy Fair is causing quite a stir.

For those of you who may not have experienced a pig scramble, piglets are let loose in a pen and children chase them around and try to catch them.

There have been protests over the pig scramble, which has now been cancelled. However, this post is not a comment on whether the pig scramble is right or wrong. I’m asking you to go deeper than that.

Taken from our local paper:

Board member, John Joynt of the livestock committee, published a notice about the cancellation of the pig scramble late July 12 to the fair’s Facebook page.

The fair board’s notice of cancellation states: “The baby pigs are also very disappointed because this is the only opportunity they have to get out of their pen and romp around with the kids from the time they are born until they go for slaughter at five months old.”

There it is; the line that’s causing shock around the county: “until they go to slaughter at 5 months old.”

Now, I’ve known John Joynt forever. His farm is beside my home. I know John to be kind and gentle and fair and reasonable and good.

His statement in this article is fact.

When you’re staring at the bacon and eggs on your breakfast plate, exactly how do you think it got there? Something had to die.

The disconnect here is massive.

When we purchase our meat, all nice and shiny on the store shelves, it’s easy to forget how it gets there.

A pig went to slaughter at 5 months old.

This is the reality. If this enrages you, don’t eat pork.

If it concerns you that baby calves are ripped from their mothers breast within days of birth to go to slaughter, don’t eat veal (and perhaps re-think the supporting the dairy industry where cows need to be kept pregnant all the time)

Start thinking about how the food that’s on your plate got there.  If it makes you uncomfortable, make different choices. Don’t blame the farmer for calling it like it is.