February 7, 2008

"Pigjackers" on the rise in China

Soaring prices of pork have spawned a new group of thieves preying on both delivery hog vans and small hauls.

Called "pigjackers", a gang was recently caught in Shenzen attempting to drive away with around 275 pounds (125kg) of pork with a value of up to US$420 on a motorbike.

This new wave of crime has sent a deeper problem to China's leaders as they fear mass unrest that could erupt yet another pork price spike in the country. Sixty five percent of the country's total meat consumption is pork.

Food prices in general and pork in particular, have been increasing rapidly for months and demand is outstripping supply against a background of rising grain prices and an epidemic of blue ear disease " forcing the mass culling of thousands of hogs.

Beijing has put some of the country's official pork reserve aside should a sudden crisis break out. China's problem regarding agricultural shortages is predicted to worsen contributed further by the massive snowstorm that hit since January killing myriads of livestock and poultry and affecting millions of crops.