Firefighters Barbecued Sausages Made Of Piglets Rescued From Farm Fire

Firefighters from Pewsey in Wiltshire reportedly saved 18 piglets and two sows from a barn fire in February. Those piglets — which were two weeks old at the time — later became food for the same firefighters who helped rescue them, according to reports.

Rachel Rivers, the farmer who raised the pigs, told the firefighters at the time that she would give them organic sausages made from those same pigs. Six months later, Rivers delivered the sausages to the firefighters, who then barbequed them.

"I'm sure vegetarians will hate this," she told BBC News Wednesday.

The fire service saved these pigs bacon in February, now they've had them as sausages! pic.twitter.com/UyZmAYvMiz

— BBC Wiltshire (@BBCWiltshire) August 23, 2017

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) lamented Rivers' choice to serve the piglets as sausages. Mimi Bekhechi, PETA's director of international programs, said that the piglets' rescue might have been in vain.

"These poor piglets were no better off for escaping the fire only to be put back into it six months later after being subjected to the horrifying experience of the abattoir," Bekhechi told the Guardian Wednesday.

She added, "We’ll be sending Dorset and Wiltshire fire and rescue service packs of Linda McCartney vegan sausages so they can see how easy it is to truly be heroes for pigs – by sparing them all suffering."

Rivers said that her sausages were a gift to the firefighters, whose heroics saved her farm.

"This was just a token gesture to the fire service," she said. "They were over the moon with them."

She added that her farm is a place that raises animals for consumption rather than sanctuary. But Rivers also claimed that her farm gave the animals a good quality of life during their six-month stay before she sent them off for slaughter.

"This is just what we do — we are not an animal sanctuary," she continued. "We give the pigs the best opportunity and the best life they could have for six months. They won’t be kept inside; they are outdoors and fed with organic food which is grown on the farm."

The piglets were given a six-month pardon from execution after firefighters saved them from the blaze in the Milton Lilbourne village. They were then slaughtered and sent to the firefighters in sausage form.

The farm's owner, Canon Gerald Osbourne, also defended Rivers’ gift.

"An inevitable part of farming is the death of an animal which gives us the food to eat," he told BBC.

After the fire station rescued the piglets, Pewsey Fire Captain Mark Hillier recanted the scene he and his firefighters encountered.

"When we arrived at the scene shortly before 10 p.m., half of the barn was on fire, with the pigs sheltering in the corner on the other side," he told The Guardian.

He added, "The tough bit was getting towards it and then to free the pigs. Once they were clear, we took a defensive approach to keep the situation under control and then let the fire burn itself out."

The fire station deleted a story from its Facebook page of the piglets-turned-sausages and has since apologized.

"In regard to a recent post on this page," the station wrote. “We recognize that this has caused offense to some — we apologize for this and as such have removed the post."