BAKERSFIELD, Calif. -- As a member of the Southwest 4-H Club, 12-year-old Luke Lewis knows a thing or two about hogs.

In fact, he's in his third year of showing swine projects at the Kern County Fair. Luke has done well in past pig competitions, and this year would have been no different.

Both of his hogs qualified for championship rounds, but 20 seconds before one championship disaster struck.

"We just got out of the wash rack and (the pig) slipped and fell and it got manure, or poop, or whatever you want to call it on it's rear end," recalled Luke. "I asked my dad to help me, because he makes me feel a lot better when he's by my side."

But swine competition rules don't allow parents to help a child with a pig.

As Luke was waiting to compete he got the bad news from the swine committee -- he had been disqualified because his dad helped him.

"It kinda sucked," Luke said about the disqualification.

All the work he put into the animal was for naught.

"I went (to the farm) everyday when I got my homework done, and I would walk (the pig) around," he said.

According to Luke's dad, Kurt, the disqualification wasn't the worst part.

"(The livestock committee) immediately told my boy that he had been kicked out and needed to remove his hogs," the father said

Even though only one hog was disqualified, both had to go.

The family doesn't think that's fair and says this action hurts both emotionally and economically.

"He's got money involved," Kurt said about his son. "He's got buying of the pig, the feed, show boxes, paint, rent. Now he doesn't get to sell his animal."

The family understands that the rules were broken but thinks the punishment was too harsh and that the other hog should have been allowed to stay.

Luke wrote a letter to the Fair's livestock council, asking for them to reconsider part of their decision.

"I know times are tough, I hear it through conversations at my house, through the TV," he states. "I have two costs involved with my projects and would like to sell one of my hogs."

Eyewitness News contacted the CEO of the Kern County Fair, Bill Blair, about this issue. He said that the livestock program has specific rules that need to be followed, and there are consequences if the rules are broken.

Eyewitness News also contacted Katie Stotler, head of the Fair's livestock committee, about both animals being removed, even though only one was disqualified. She said that rule has been in place for years.