June 18, 2009
Mexico launches measures to encourage pork consumption
The Mexican government on Tuesday (June 16) launched measures to encourage pork consumption, which declined sharply after the outbreak of AH1N1 flu in the country.
Agriculture Minister Alberto Cardenas Jimenez said that in June, a total of 470,000 pigs were slaughtered in state-approved slaughterhouses, up from 250,000 in April, when the flu outbreak began in Mexico.
The disease, which has killed 108 people in the country, was initially called swine flu, until the World Health Organization requested a name change because the virus contained a blend of bird, pig and human viruses.
