It is becoming a common practice in certain parts of Malta to have pork roasted or grilled in the middle of roads and squares during festa celebrations – with traffic re-routed for the occasion.

There is nothing wrong with that, of course, except for the inconvenience it causes to residents who have to stay indoors, sometimes inhaling the smoke, as outside their front door a whole suckling pig is being roasted and grilled to celebrate the feast with a maialata.

I am not a vegetarian, and I like roast pork, but certainly not this way. I consider a maialata to be a barbaric way to celebrate the village feast. Seeing a whole pig being roasted, can send the wrong message to children who happen to be looking on.

I find it very contradictory to teach our children to love animals, while at the same time seeing a whole pig, head and all, being roasted that way.

I know that these animals would have been slaughtered first, though I cannot say whether this would have been inside an abattoir or a farmhouse.

In one case I saw a pig being brought in a small van, in the presence of four police officers. The van carried advertisements for this maialata on both sides.

I strongly believe this practice should be discontinued, if only for the sake of our children, who should always be taught to love animals.