A Dublin pub is hosting a pig race this week and not everyone is happy about it

Fly in the oinkment.

As he regularly does with aplomb, Joe Duffy was more than happy to talk about a variety of topics on Monday's edition of Liveline and one particular issue caused more controversy than most, a pig race. The Comet Pub in Santry regularly hosts these pig races on 4 July as the organisers raise money for charity. Due to the extreme heat that Ireland is currently experiencing, however, there are concerns for the welfare of the animals. While a representative for the pub didn't appear on the show, a statement was released which the host read out. In terms of approval for the event, the Comet Pub state that they've got the full support of the Gardaí, Dublin City Council and the Dublin Fire Brigade. They also state that a vet from the Department of Agriculture will be in attendance to make sure that everything is appropriate. Given the rather odd nature of the topic, the debate was very interesting. On one side was Dermot Allen, a member of the Irish Pig Society and owner of Sue the pig from the Vodafone ads. Allen was in favour of the event taking place because he felt that it could be educational for children. Allen did state though that he's not fully aware of every single detail of the race and how the organisers treat the animals. https://twitter.com/rteliveline/status/1013767168285118470 On the other side, there's a local resident named Pamela and a pig breeder named Peter. They're staunchly against the race from taking place. Peter said: "Pigs are not stupid. They are as smart as us. Please do not underestimate the intelligence of the pigs." He went on to say that the pigs are being treated like "eejits" by race the organisers. Pamela, a local that lives in Santry, was more worried about the area's reputation. She said that: "It's very, very disturbing. I think it's the only pub in Dublin that does this." Pamela also felt that this event could have a negative impact on younger minds with regards to their attitude to gambling. She believes that this pig race "encourages the thought process of gambling in children’s minds". https://twitter.com/rteliveline/status/1013775423279419395 Allen intervened by saying that any objections to the race are examples of "political correctness". "These pigs are trained to do this. If they didn't enjoy it, they wouldn't come out for it," he said.