Pigs in China treated to villas and playtime to help produce 'better pork' 

A group of lucky pigs in China are enjoying a comfortable living after being moved into their own bespoke villas in a bid to produce better tasting pork.

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Government advisers decided on the drastic action after concluding that happier pigs would also mean they were healthier and of better quality too.

More used to living in an absolute pig sty, the playful pigs' mood quickly brightened in their new surroundings in Weiji, Suining, which has been dubbed China's first pig village.

The 600 pigs are also given toys to play with and allowed to roam in the woods every day from 8am to 5pm, seven days a week.

Despite initial scepticism over the decision to move the pigs from their industrial pens to the £800 luxury villas, agricultural officer Hu Juchun believes it has now been justified.

'A good environment will leave pigs in a good mood and keep them healthy, and its therefore logical that the pork will be better,' he said.

'As well as better pork we are getting income from tourists who come to see the pig village, and in any case pigs are clever animals - it is not kind to keep them in a small pen all their lives.'

Hu added that there were now plans to open up a further 2,500 more villas across the 2,000 hectares of woodland available.