It is bizarre that there should be an outcry when a charity set up to reconnect consumers with the food they eat sends two pigs to slaughter (??Slaughter of city-reared pigs has sparked a public outcry??, The Herald, December 4).

It is bizarre that there should be an outcry when a charity set up to reconnect consumers with the food they eat sends two pigs to slaughter (??Slaughter of city-reared pigs has sparked a public outcry??, The Herald, December 4). The very act of dispatching two pigs to the abattoir emphasizes the fact that the meat we eat was once living. Too often we forget that fact and we simply see our food as neatly packaged items on the supermarket shelves. Anyone who is not a vegetarian who railed against the venture to produce pork chops and bacon from the two pigs can be accused of being a hypocrite.

Animal rights campaigners would surely argue that all animals should be spared and not just the two pigs raised at Queen??s Park Bowling Club. Indeed, to save these two animals could give the wrong message that our food chain is kindly and compassionate. Pig sanctuaries and farm animals kept as pets can simply conceal the reality of the situation in which much of our food is produced at a cost to the creatures which we farm and ultimately slaughter for us to eat.

Sandy Gemmill,

40 Warriston Gardens, Edinburgh,

Oh dear. What a stushie when the dear wee pigs from Queens Park were sent for slaughter. Where do townies think their bacon comes from when they happily eat a bacon roll or enjoy some sausages? Have town dwellers become so accustomed to seeing everything cling wrapped that they don??t for a moment think where the chicken, beef or pork originated?

To have enjoyed seeing these two pigs living life in the fresh air, being raised in comfortable conditions is a privilege for them and the people living nearby. It is time to be real about our food and those who have rushed to protest should be encouraging Reuben Chester in his enterprise, not condemning him.

Celia Judge,

Finnick Glen,

Ayr.