Belgian men to drop briefs to save piglets pain

Belgian men are being urged to "Let-em hang!" and go brief-free on Friday by animal rights campaigners bent on ending the pain of the five million piglets castrated in the country each year. "Through the 'Let'em hang!' campaign we are seeking to convince farmers to allow their piglets to let them hang too," said animal welfare group Gaia in a statement issued to save animals from a knife administered without painkillers.

"We are hoping for mass participation so that supermarkets stop selling pork from castrated pigs," added campaigner Michel Vandenbosch. Gaia said it was asking men, "who can easily imagine the suffering caused by live castration", to leave their briefs and boxer-shorts in the cupboard on September 9 "to show solidarity" with the pigs. Women should "hide their partners' underwear".



A few days after birth, male piglets are deprived of their testicles to prevent the rare but possible occurence of a foul smell when pork is cooked. The rights group said the slicing "causes intense pain" and urged the use of an injection to kill the pain.

To avoid "accident" during the brief-free show of solidarity, Gaia urged participants to opt for zipper-free pants, "take care before sitting down and avoid low-slung hipsters". On Tuesday, more than 3,000 men pledged to 'go commando' on the group's Facebook page.