The Associated Press

COLUMBUS - The 2002 Ohio State Fair grand champion market barrow (the porcine equivalent of a gelding) has been disqualified because inspectors found testicular tissue in the hog, the Agriculture Department director announced Tuesday.

Director Fred Dailey said the violation was unintentional and that the exhibitor who showed the animal, Taylor Creager of Wauseon, is innocent of wrongdoing.

Dailey said state meat inspectors found the tissue after detecting a strong boar odor when the animal was slaughtered. A pathologist confirmed the tissue was present.

"In this case, the animal was entered as a barrow although it still had remnants of testicular tissue," Dailey said.

State livestock exhibition laws and rules prohibit testicular tissue from remaining in the body of an animal entered into competition as a castrated animal.

The director ordered the owners to forfeit awards, prizes, premiums and proceeds earned from the show.

Creager received $8,000 for winning the category at the Sale of Champions. Meijer Inc. was the winning bidder at $20,000.