Pork demo targets celebrity chef

Jamie Oliver has "championed the welfare of pigs" his spokesman said

Animal rights protesters have demonstrated outside Jamie Oliver's restaurant in Brighton over his promotion of British pork.

Members of Peta stood outside the chef's Italian restaurant holding placards with the words: "Be Pukka to Pigs: Go Vegetarian" on Monday.

Peta said pigs were confined to metal crates while they are pregnant.

Mr Oliver's spokesman said he had long "championed the welfare of pigs" and would not be taking meat off his menus.

They should go make a protest somewhere that imports its meat

Jamie Oliver's spokesman

Heavily pregnant activist Lynzi Waddington, who was stooped on her hands and knees, said she wanted to highlight the "cruelty that goes on behind closed doors" within the pig farming industry.

"Pigs are very sensitive animals, they do feel pain, and they deserve to be treated right," said the 24-year-old.

Poorva Joshipura, director of special projects for People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (Peta) said that pigs were kept inside the crates after they had given birth.

She added that the process would continue until the pigs were killed at about five-years-old.

"If Jamie truly loved pigs then he would be joining us in asking people to go vegetarian," Ms Joshipura said.

However, the celebrity chef's spokesman said: "The meat Jamie is serving up is very high quality.

"They should go make a protest somewhere that imports its meat."

He added the branch of Mr Oliver's newest restaurant, expected to open in Black Lion Street at 1800 GMT, offered a number of vegetarian dishes for non-meat eaters.

In the chef's Channel 4 programme, Jamie Saves Our Bacon, he highlighted pig farming conditions across Europe and showed sow stalls, where pregnant pigs were being kept in cages for up to four months at a time.

The stalls are banned in Britain.