Competition "divine pigs" fattened to over a thousand jin, force-fed and imprisoned, animal welfare groups accuse of torture, Hakka Affairs Council: Respect the sacrificial culture

The 180-year-old "Baozhong Pavilion Yimin Festival" in Hsinchu County, China is about to be held this week. The Yimin Festival links fifteen major villages across the northern Hakka region, from Xinwu and Yangmei in the north to Beipu and Emei in the south. In 2015 it was designated a nationally important folk custom, and it is the only nationally certified "intangible cultural asset" belonging to a Hakka settlement, making it highly emblematic and valuable as cultural heritage.

However, in recent years animal conservation groups have criticized the "divine pig weight contest" held during the Yimin Festival, arguing that the "divine pig weight contest" distorts the true meaning of the Yimin Festival. In pursuit of weight to win prizes, competition pigs are force-fed and imprisoned so they cannot walk, causing the pigs immense suffering. They call for the abolition of this inhumane contest.

The divine pig weight contest has sparked controversy from all sides. The Hakka Affairs Council issued a statement saying, "The Yimin Festival is the main faith of the Hakka, and the divine pig contest is part of the sacrificial culture. We ask all sectors to show respect." But the Ministry of Culture, which is responsible for cultural asset management, explained: "The Ministry of Culture's announcement registering the 'Baozhong Pavilion Yimin Festival' as an important folk custom does not include the 'divine pig weight contest.'"

Wang Zhongshu, deputy director of the Animal Husbandry Division of the Council of Agriculture, said that according to the spirit of the Animal Protection Act, if there is forced feeding, iron frames pressing down on the body, or similar behavior, it already constitutes a violation of the law. He suggested canceling the weight-gain contest and raising animals according to animal welfare standards, to avoid blurring the focus of the festival activities and losing the true meaning of the Yimin Festival.

Competition divine pigs fattened to over a thousand jin, long-term imprisonment causes torment

The Animal Society Research Association of Taiwan, China (hereinafter "the Association") points out that the farming process for competition divine pigs is longer than for ordinary pigs, reaching two to three years, and their weight often reaches over a thousand jin, five or six times that of an ordinary adult pig. Because the body weight is too heavy and to prevent the pigs from standing, iron or wooden frames are pressed onto the pigs' bodies. The long-term imprisoned state makes the so-called "divine pigs" endure long-term torment, and the public and lengthy slaughter process also causes the pigs immense suffering.

Regarding the farming and rearing model for competition divine pigs, the Association commissioned Donald Broom, a professor of animal welfare at the University of Cambridge, to study the mental and physiological trauma that the farming and rearing model for competition divine pigs causes to the animals. Donald Broom said that pigs are vertebrates, and their cardiovascular and nervous system pain perception is very similar to that of humans. The rearing method for divine pigs weighing over a thousand jin will cause the pigs to be unable to turn over or move on their own, making them prone to fright and bruising injuries, as well as long-term pressure pain.