Horrobin responded to the borage competition by accusing his rivals of "duping women, selling pigs in pokes and marketing 'unstable and potentially toxic products'."

But about 10 months ago, Mr. Long also returned to selling pigs the way his father had - at auction.

In a production of Ben Jonson's Bartholomew Fair, he played a lunatic called Troubadour and a woman who sells pigs.

According to its website, CRP breeds and sells dogs, rabbits, guinea pigs, non-human primates, and pigs.

"I'd rather sell pigs than hire out boys," she said, "but I guess they've got to go see the world sometime."

The Cantonese term was "maaijeutzai," or "selling pigs," and in the West the practice came to be known as the coolie trade.

He was then able to sell the government great white American pigs to replace the native swine.

From their walled villages the Hakka went into the forests to gather wood, which their women lugged down onto the plains in bundles; the Punti sold pigs.

Go sell the buffalo and pigs.

They bought and sold horses, cattle, sheep and pigs.