A protest pig has been relieved of her duties at a Westminster vigil, after an animal lover bought her for £50.

Cherie the sow was part of a demonstration by the National Pig Association whose members are staging a "round-the-clock protest" outside Parliament to draw attention to the state of their industry.

Animal welfare campaigner Julia Fletcher spotted the porker in the midst of London traffic and resolved to rescue her.

Farmer 'delighted'

"I was in Westminster to attend a meeting against live exports of animals and as I was passing I suddenly saw the piggy next to about six lanes of traffic," she said.

"I thought: 'Why have they got a pig there? It can't know what it's there for.' So I went up to them and asked how much they would get if they sold it. They said £50 - so I bought it."

Chris Lay, the Oxfordshire farmer who sold her, was delighted to do business, according to David Graham, who organised the NPA's vigil.

"Chris is ceasing pig production because of the economic situation." he said.

"All his animals were going to be culled, so this has saved that sow's life."

Prime Minister Tony Blair has recently admitted there is a crisis in farming, but stressed that the problems faced by the countryside were the same as those faced by cities and towns.

Potential clash over pigs

While Cherie's bacon has been saved, Mr Graham said a replacement pig would be trotting along on Monday to fill the vacated pen.

He did not know if this pig would also be bought by animal campaigners but added: "If they go on like this it would be good, though they would have to have deep pockets to save the whole industry.

But Ms Fletcher said: "I will buy the new one as well. I can't believe they are bringing another one."

She raised the prospect of animal welfare campaigners clashing at Westminster on Monday with the farmers, to protest against them bringing live animals into the city.

Meanwhile, Cherie the pig - now renamed Petal - is starting a new life at Hillside Animal Sanctuary in Norwich.