This Morning welcomed Amanda Owen to the show today (July 14), however, her appearance didn’t go down well with some animal-loving fans of the show.
Amanda is better known as The Yorkshire Shepherdess from Channel 5‘s Our Yorkshire Farm.
She appeared on the ITV show live from the Great Yorkshire Show.
But some viewers were angered by the segment showing Amanda walking a pig.
This Morning today: Amanda Owen under fire over treatment of pig
The TV farmer met Maisie the seven-year-old prize-winning pig.
Her owner explained how to train the hog to compete in farming shows.
This isn’t what happened on Babe.
She handed Amanda a walking stick-style cane and a board to guide Maisie.
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This Morning‘s presenters Dermot O’Leary and Alison Hammond were watching on from the ITV studio.
As instructed, Amanda, 47, guided Maisie on a walk, tapping her side gently with a stick and holding the board against her other side.
As the pig ran along, Amanda struggled to keep up, saying: “This is descending into chaos!
“This isn’t what happened on Babe!”
She then concluded: “I think I’m going to stick to sheep.”
Viewers took to social media to complain
Viewers were unhappy with the light-hearted segment, though.
One wrote on Twitter: “Stop hitting that pig for a television bit,” using an angry emoji.
A second wrote as if from the pig’s mouth: “Stop poking me with that stick.”
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Maisie had been eating some food from a bowl straight before the walk around with Amanda.
A third critic said: “Leave Maisie alone to eat her snacky snacks! I wouldn’t walk either if someone took my food off me.”
And one angry viewer penned: “Stop hitting that pig with a stick,” and added the hashtag “#animalabuse”.
Maisie’s walk ends in a wagging tail
Maisie, however, seemed pretty unflustered by all the fuss.
Of course, Maisie’s handler was on hand to ensure the pig’s safety on This Morning today, with Amanda following her instructions to the letter.
After her walkabout ended, Maisie headed off wagging her tail, with Amanda commenting that she seemed pretty “happy”.
ED! has contacted a rep for Amanda for a comment on this story.
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