Written BY Nathaniel Vinton at NYDailyNews.com
The life of a Grand Champion hog is apparently not all that grand. After the Mets said Tuesday that Yoenis Cespedes had no plans to slaughter the pig he purchased at the St. Lucie County Fair Saturday, the team confirmed Wednesday the pig had been sent to the slaughterhouse.
Still, it will take at least a week for Cespedes to bring home the bacon.
Nettles Sausage, the Florida pork processing plant scheduled to butcher the 275-pound pig, probably won’t get the meat boxed and delivered until next week, according to an employee of the facility.
“We’re in the middle of fair season,” Sharma Priest, who works at the Lake City facility, told the Daily News. “It’s really busy. These ones won’t be processed until next Wednesday.”
Wade Yarbrough, a member of the St. Lucie Fair’s livestock committee, confirmed to The News that the Grand Champion hog Cespedes bought for $7,000 had been shipped to Nettles Sausage on Wednesday morning, along with about 110 other pigs.
The Facebook page for Nettles Sausage says it is a third-generation company in operation since 1940. The USDA-licensed facility charges 65 cents per pound for butchering a pig, and another $30 for boxing and delivery, bringing the total processing charge for the Cespedes pig to about $208.
The Cuban slugger, who has kept the Mets camp interesting during the first two weeks by displaying his collection of flashy cars and buying and riding farm animals, had no comment.
The Mets said that Florida law demands that a hog bought at auction be slaughtered.
“So, it’s not really Yoenis’ decision. It just the rule,” said a team spokesperson. “The pig is not a pet.”
The rules of the St. Lucie Fair are clear on the subject.
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