April 23, 2008

Canadian government suggests "killing" pigs to save pork industry
 

In what seemed to be a bizarre move, the Canadian government has offered to pay farmers C$50 million to kill their pigs to avoid supply glut and increase the price of pork.

About 150,000 hogs are planned to be slaughtered by September in a rather unusual scheme to help struggling farmers.

Clare Schlegel, president of the Canadian Pork Council, says a number of factors have combined to create incredible tough conditions for pig farmers.

Schlegel said the industry, though fruitful in thirty years, are experiencing the hard times and farmers are trying to "buckle down and reducing costs to become more productive."

Only 25 percent of the swine to be killed will end up on dinner tables around the world. The rest will be sold to the pet food industry.

The swelling in pig inventories has been partly attributed to the development of a cure for a hog disease called circle virus.

According to Schlegel the cure worked too well, leaving the market flooded with healthy pigs.