This little piggy went to market.
This little piggy stayed home.
But these little piggies will be going all the way to the Ontario Pork Congress (OPC) in Stratford for the first time in years.
Organizers of the 39th annual swine industry gathering will be bringing live animals back to the main event this year in the form of the junior barrow show, which will be held on the second day of the two-day congress scheduled for June 19-20.
In an interview Saturday, OPC president Adam Rae explained that biosecurity fears, prompted by an outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease in Europe several years ago, forced the planning committee to separate the competition from the main show.
Some years it was held weeks before and that had the unfortunate effect of disconnecting young people from the congress itself, said Rae.
Bringing the junior barrow show back to the congress is a way of re-establishing that link, he added.
"That's one thing the Pork Congress has always been dedicated to, trying to look to the future of the pig industry," said Rae. "You need that good stockmanship of the young kids growing up so that they understand how to work with pigs, that when they want to take over an operation or if they want to be in the pig industry, they have that strong foundation."
But organizers recognize the threat of disease being spread.
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