Belgian farmer discovers his pigs love to dance

Image source, Getty Images

A Belgian farmer has caught the attention of scientists after claiming that his swines love to swing to music!

Piet Paesmans first spotted the wiggle in his pigs tails when his son was singing in their barn.

He has now created a playlist for his pigs to trot along to - and already has made some surprising discoveries about their preferences!

"Jolly dance songs are the biggest hits," he told news service Reuters.

"They really start wagging their tails and when it's really dynamic they even start dancing around and frolicking."

But apparently rock music is a bit of a 'boar' Piet Pasemans says, suggesting they think it's "too strong" for their tastes.

Image source, Reuters

Image caption, Farmer Piet Paesmans is convinced his pigs are enjoying dancing to music

His claims have been picked up by scientists who are hoping to investigate the effect music has on the pigs.

Researcher Sander Palmans says there is evidence that music has an affect on animals, though there isn't much research that has been done on pigs yet.

But poor Piet's pigs might want to hang up their dancing trotters - as Sander believes that their positive reaction to music could benefit the meat industry.

"A top athlete needs to be completely fit physically, but also mentally. And that's just the same for pigs," he said, saying that a less stressed pig might produce better quality meat.

Maybe it's time to turn the radio off!