Chichester Festival Theatre has agreed to pull pork from its menu during the Christmas run of the children’s show The Three Little Pigs in the Minerva.

The move comes after the venue was approached by People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) who argued that “pigs are crammed into barren concrete pens, routinely mutilated without painkillers, and endure a terrifying death at the abattoir.”

PETA welcomed the CFT’s decision to remove “all pig flesh items from the menu at its Minerva Bar” during the show (December 6-28). In a letter, sent to the Chichester Festival Theatre’s executive director in February, the group noted it would be “weird to encourage children to cheer the pigs as they escape being eaten by the wolf in your theatre and then invite them to stuff their mouths with pig flesh in your restaurant.” And reminded them that “no pig goes to their death willingly.”

PETA vice president of corporate projects Dawn Carr said: “The Chichester Festival Theatre has made the compassionate first step to stop serving the flesh of pigs – who, just like those in the show, experience close family bonds and have a desire to live free from harm – at the Minerva Bar.

“In the UK, farmers clip or grind down many piglets’ teeth and cut their tails off without any painkillers. After females give birth, they’re confined to farrowing crates so small that they can’t even turn around, let alone fulfil their strong urge to build a nest as they would naturally do. They’re forcibly impregnated over and over again, and each litter of piglets is torn away from them after only a few weeks and transported to fattening pens before eventually being sent to slaughter.

“PETA – whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to eat” – points out that Every Animal Is Someone and offers free Empathy Kits. For more information, please visit PETA.org.uk or follow PETA on Facebook, X, TikTok, or Instagram.”

Chichester Festival Theatre released the following statement: “We appreciate PETA’s passion and advocacy for animal welfare and we understand their concerns raised in relation to our upcoming production of The Three Little Pigs. As a theatre committed to creating thoughtful and inclusive experiences for all audiences, we have taken their feedback into careful consideration.

“For the duration of the run of The Three Little Pigs, we will be removing pork products from the menu in the Minerva Bar, which is the primary catering space used by audiences attending this show. Additionally, we will be further highlighting and promoting our vegan options across our cafés to ensure that plant-based choices are clearly available and accessible to all visitors.

“We aim to provide a welcoming environment for a wide range of dietary preferences and ethical considerations, and we hope these steps reflect our commitment to thoughtful programming and hospitality.”