Florida family furious after buying pig at auction… and told they had to KILL it due to state law

A couple are struggling to keep alive a pig they won at a South Florida Fair auction after being told they would have to euthanize the sow or the $4,700 deal was off the table.

Meg Weinberger said she received an ultimatum from fair organizers Saturday after attending the West Palm Beach fair with her husband Eric and quickly falling in love with the pig.

An animal lover, Weinberger said she had attended the fair in hopes of bringing back a live pig to live at her and her husband’s animal sanctuary, free to roam with other creatures from horses to geese.

While noble, the intent to save the animal’s life violates a Florida law that prohibits the sale of live animals at a “terminal market,” a phrase that refers to a vendor of produce.

The auction Weinberger and her husband won fit that criteria, prompting organizers to tell the couple they had to bring in the pig. – appropriately named Bella B. Swine – back as meat, or nothing at all.

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The disagreement caused the transaction to fall apart and Bella left for a local slaughterhouse.

Weinberger now criticizes the fair’s organizers for reneging on their agreement, saying no signs were displayed at the auction or in a bidding agreement they signed outlining market policy.

She detailed to CBS12 News how the controversy arose, as she lamented Bella’s seemingly inevitable fate, despite winning a nearly $5,000 bid for what she assumed was the live pig.

“I told them we wanted to take her to our sanctuary,” Weinberger told the outlet on Monday. ‘They said: ‘Absolutely not.

Meg said her husband beat out other buyers after paying $4,700 for Bella, but was told bringing the animal back would violate company animal protection laws.

In other words, Bella had to be slaughtered or the deal was off.

“They didn’t take our credit card,” a visibly angry Weinberger told the station in a video interview. ‘twe were told it was a state law that it had to be euthanized.

Weinberger said the revelation had dashed her and her husband’s hopes of bringing back a live pig to replace the one they had just lost.

“We lost a Wilbur pig recently,” explained the animal rescuer, who houses dozens of animals on her and her husband’s sprawling property in West Palm Beach. So I went in and started bidding. We ended up winning the bid for $4,700.’

However, according to the fair’s president and CEO, no amount would be enough to save Bella, whose fate was apparently sealed when she was put up for sale, due to Florida laws governing the sale of animals.

Speaking with CBS12, Vicki Chouris claimed that despite not denying the law in a bid form the Weinbergers signed, the rules have been clear from the start.

He explained that the animals being sold at the auction were raised by local children in 18 counties, who raise livestock animals as part of a lesson on becoming farmers and ranchers.

He added that the animals sold are “necessary to maintain the food chain.”

‘We are a place for the youth of our community to learn how to become ranchers and farmers.

“The process is that they raise animals for food consumption,” Chouris continued on why the deal fell through. ‘That’s the reason why.’

She added: ‘Changing the rules midstream, just because someone wants to take an animal home, is unethical. These kids are being taught how to follow the rules.’

Asked if there was a notice that the offer was for a terminal animal when the couple signed an agreement, Chouris admitted: “Unfortunately it wasn’t there.”

“It was never brought to our attention that it wasn’t there, and it wasn’t there,” he tried to explain. ‘It will be in the future, obviously. We are all learning from this experience.’

However, Megan and her husband maintain that since there were no signs displayed at the auction describing this, and since they have a home ready for Bella in their sanctuary, among horses, dogs and even donkeys, the pig’s life should not be lost. . .

After hours of debate between the parties on Saturday, where the organizers tried to charge the Weinbergers anyway, it was decided that the couple would not be charged the $4,700 and the pig was sent to the local slaughterhouse.

Despite the Weinbergers’ continued efforts, Bella’s fate is likely sealed, with Chouris explaining Monday that “her meat will be given to a charity” that will decide the fair.

Meanwhile, the girl who raised Bella from a piglet will continue to receive money for her work, the fair said.

According to the Farm Service Agency, states like Florida require that animals purchased at a terminal market for slaughter be killed by a licensed professional.

It is illegal to slaughter an animal anywhere other than an approved slaughterhouse or by a licensed slaughterhouse.

DailyMail.com has sent a request to the South Florida Fair for comment.