Activists have condemned the slaughter of pigs raised at a primary school in Yorkshire, England, but could this be a vital opportunity to teach children where their food comes from?
The headteacher of Farsley Farfield Primary school in West Yorkshire has faced both praise and criticism after the announcement that the Gloucester Old Spot pigs being reared on school grounds would be slaughtered this summer.
Keeping the pigs on site is part of a school initiative to teach students about the energy and resources that go into raising animals for meat, how the conditions animals are kept in is important, and how meat ends up on their plates.
The programme has received praise from parents and from Food for Life, a programme encouraging positive food culture in schools. The programme's head of policy, Rob Percival, told Sky News he was "fully supportive" of the project, saying a "hands-on experience" of rearing the animals was "even more valuable".
"Most of us eat meat of animal products, and so it's entirely appropriate that children are taught how this meat is produced and what it takes to put it on our plates," Percival explained.
"Schools have an important role to play to encouraging this shift, including by introducing more plant proteins onto their menu, and implementing meat-free days, while also ensuring that meat is higher welfare and more sustainable where possible," he added...
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