Swiss butchers hoping to revive a tradition of publicly slaughtering pigs drew the ire of animal rights activists at the weekend.

Workers of the Häring butcher's shop in the town of Sissach near Basel slaughtered two pigs in front of about 150 curious onlookers and about 20 protesters Sunday morning.

The butchers said they wanted to highlight more humane methods of slaughter and to demonstrate how the public receives their meat. But animal rights activists said they had turned the act of killing an animal into a public spectacle.

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About 150 people turned up to watch the spectacle in a private tent

Traditional slaughter

Butcher Rolf Häring helped organize the slaughter as part of the autumn tradition of Metzgete. Pigs were traditionally fattened during the summer, but keeping them through the winter was difficult. So, many pigs were slaughtered before the cold came.

Parts of the pig that spoil quickly are dished up to eat on the same day, including blood, offal, belly and head meat. The word Metzgete refers to both the slaughter and the dishes that follow.

Metzgete dishes are still served up today in Switzerland, but the slaughters typically take place inside.

On Sunday morning at 8 a.m., Häring and his colleagues began the process, dispatching two sows from an organic farm with a bolt gun and then carving them up. Elderly onlookers told national tabloid Blick that it used to be commonplace to see Metzgete take place in public.

Young onlookers Tabea Bischof, 24 and Dominique Müller, 24 from Basel said they appreciated the demonstration. "People should once again get a feeling for where their meat comes from," Bischoff said.

Nearby, animal rights activists carried signs saying "Animals feel, animals suffer" and "Their pain for your pleasure."

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Alternative to factories

Häring told regional daily Basellandschaftliche Zeitung he was inspired to become an artisan butcher when confronted by the idea of industrial-scale slaughterhouses, which kill as many as many as 25,000 pigs a day.

"We don't want to amuse people, but to show them that there are more humane alternatives to slaughtering on the conveyor belt and that a pig is not just made of fillets and ham," co-organizer Heiner Oberer told "Basler Zeitung."

10 ways to eat a German sausage Bratwurst It is a favorite in Germany, and each region has its own version. There are over 50 kinds of bratwurst, and they all vary in size, texture and seasoning - so no wonder it's confusing. Although Germans now associate "Brat" with "braten," which means to fry, broil or grill, the name originally derives from Old High German: "Brät" meant finely chopped meat.

10 ways to eat a German sausage Nürnberger (Nuremberger) Among the different varieties of Bratwurst, you can recognize the one produced in Nuremberg by its size. It's surprisingly small, not much bigger than a pinkie finger. Historical documents already mentioned this wurst back in 1313. These sausages are traditionally grilled over flames, served six at a time, and accompanied by sauerkraut and potatoes with horseradish or mustard on the side.

10 ways to eat a German sausage Currywurst A currywurst is simply a steamed bratwurst seasoned with ketchup and covered with curry powder. In a country specialized in high-tech cars, it sounds a bit exaggerated to call this fast-food snack an "invention," but Herta Heuwer, the Berlin cook who developed the special sauce, actually patented it in 1959. It's since become a street food classic. There's even a currywurst museum in Berlin.

10 ways to eat a German sausage Weisswurst This veal Bavarian sausage translates as "white sausage" for its color. It has no preservatives, nor is it smoked, which is why it's meant to be eaten fresh the day it was made. A German saying recommends the Weisswurst should never get to hear the church bells ring at noon. To eat it, some suck out the meat from the skin, or, more discreetly, cut it in half and roll out the filling with a fork.

10 ways to eat a German sausage Blutwurst The German Blutwurst (blood sausage) is usually made with pork blood and bacon. As it is already cooked, it does not need to be eaten hot - but some people do. Some regions include it in dishes with colorful names: the Rhineland's "Himmel und Erde" (Sky and Earth) combines it with mashed potatoes and apple sauce. "Tote Oma" (Dead Grandma) is Berlin's way of serving it with liverwurst and potatoes.

10 ways to eat a German sausage Landjäger The Landjäger is a smoked semi-dried sausage traditionally made in different German-speaking countries. It can be kept without refrigeration, which is why it became a popular snack for everyone spending time outdoors, from hikers to soldiers. "Jäger" means "hunter" in German.

10 ways to eat a German sausage Mettwurst This is another type of sausage which can be very different from region to region. Strongly flavored, its minced meat (usually pork, but sometimes beef) is preserved through a curing and smoking process. In the South of Germany, it is usually spreadable, whereas the northern varieties are harder and more like salami.

10 ways to eat a German sausage Leberwurst There are different forms of Leberwurst, which has its anglicized form, "liverwurst." They can generally be defined as German pre-cooked sausages which are spreadable. As the name reveals, they usually contain liver - often from pigs or calves, but some varieties are made from goose, turkey or even anchovies.

10 ways to eat a German sausage Teewurst From breakfast to that last evening snack, Germans have traditionally found a way to eat sausage throughout the day. Teewurst means "tea sausage," a name which is believed to come from it being served in sandwiches at teatime. What makes it so easy to spread? The fat: It makes up about 30 to 40 percent of this rich wurst.

10 ways to eat a German sausage Salami Salami is typically Italian, but it is just as popular in sausage-loving Germany - and it's much more than just a pizza topping. If Italians usually stick to coffee and sweet bread rolls for breakfast, Germans will gladly serve slices of salami first thing in the morning, too. They'll enjoy it all day, as salami shows up for the simple evening meal called "Abendbrot" as well. Author: Elizabeth Grenier



'Unnecessary stunt'

Basel animal-welfare group Schweizer Tierschutz (STS) told Blick that it was important to educate the population on where meat comes from, but "we think publicly slaughtering two pigs is the wrong way to do it."

Häring said he had received threats and had even been compared to "Islamic State," which garnered notoriety for their throat-slitting, public execution videos. Protesters started legal action and unsuccessfully lobbied authorities to stop the spectacle.

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Self-flagellation

One of the more dramatic protests was planned by former priest Lukas Baumann. The vegetarian theologian said in a statement he planned to protest by flaying himself in the town square on Monday. Just as butcher Häring was reviving old traditions, Baumann said he was reviving the "terrible" medieval act of self-flagellation.

"I oppose the cruel traditions of the public Metzgete with another cruel tradition," he told Basler Zeitung.

Despite the opposition, Häring told Blick the only thing that made him nervous was being watched by his former teacher.