!["I keep pigs that are bred for the purpose of eating. I don't see the problem."](http://cdn2-b.examiner.com/sites/default/files/styles/image_content_width/hash/08/18/1363194350_2712_l.jpg?itok=qZq9cAxK ""I keep pigs that are bred for the purpose of eating. I don't see the problem."")
Singer Lily Allen lashed out at vegetarians and vegans who criticized her for suggesting she would slaughter a pig to help raise money for charity. Allen, 27, clarified her remarks in a series of tweets to her four million Twitter followers.
"Jesus. Some of these vegans are loonies," Allen tweeted March 11. "If the hippies could just get off my back, I'd be very grateful."
Lily, who tweets under her married name, Lily Cooper, touched off the Twitter feud after asking her followers to donate to her Red Nose Day page as part of a fundraising effort by Comic Relief.
"I will name one of my pigs after you and send you the sausages and bacon from it when I kill it," she tweeted March 5. "Or if you're a vegetarian you can choose to spare the pig."
Allen was immediately slammed by animal-rights activists for promoting animal cruelty. The mom of two later underscored that she raises pigs to be eaten, and that she would never kill an animal for a frivolous reason.
"Can people stop tweeting me about slaughtering a pig for charity!" she tweeted. "I keep pigs that are bred for the purpose of eating. I don't see the problem. I am NOT slaughtering a pig for charity. Our pigs were always going to be slaughtered, and eaten."
Allen has since apologized for her callous tone. "In retrospect, I could have been more sensitive," she tweeted. "I hope that gives some clarity on the matter. I never said, and I never would, kill anything for charity or otherwise.
"I genuinely just want to help a good cause. Sorry if I have offended anyone, but I have never claimed to be a vegetarian. Our pigs are kept in lovely conditions and live happy piggy lives."
