No special pigs for Beijing Olympics: Organisers
Beijing (PTI): Olympic organisers have refuted claims that pampered pigs were being raised at special breeding centres to provide safe pork at the Games in August next year.
The Beijing Organising Committee for the Olympic Games (BOCOG) on Saturday said on its website that the "special rearing methods boasted about by the pork supplier were false".
The officials also said they did not feel the need to raise special pigs.
"All farm products for the Games were part of the same food supply chain, which used to feed the people of Beijing. There is no need to raise 'Olympic Pigs', as presently 99 per cent of the branded pork products in Beijing meet the food safety standards."
According to the 'China Daily', Yang Yanyun, Chairman of Luck Crane, the sole authorised pork supplier for Olympics, had allegedly said that his pigs were being immunised with natural herbs and Chinese medicines, given two hours exercise daily and being raised in special breeding centres away from high air and water pollution.
Yang was also quoted to have said in his interviews that his company did not use growth hormones in pig rearing as it could conceivably cause athletes to fail anti-doping tests.
BOCOG said some companies might have developed new breeding methods, but it was wrong to say they were being done for the Olympics.
"They are manipulating people's feelings about the Games to improve their brand image."
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