Capitalism

USA: Pig farmers may 'discard' 135 million pigs, to reduce financial loss

Young Pig© Photabulous!

An many as 135 million pigs in the U.S. may be killed, their bodies discarded, to minimize financial loss for the 'farmers' that raise them, as slaughterhouses close amid the Coronavirus pandemic.



The National Pork Producers Council (NPPC), in a release issued on Tuesday claimed that pig farmers are going to be badly affected. "The impact of COVID-19 has caused hog values to plummet, creating a financial disaster for pork producers nationwide who face a collective $5bn loss for the remainder of the year," their briefing read. [1]



"We are taking on water fast. Immediate action is imperative, or a lot of hog farms will go under," said NPPC President Howard "A.V." Roth, a pork producer from Wauzeka, Wisconsin.



The closing of slaughterhouses and worker absenteeism due to COVID19 is hindering the kill rate of pigs in America.



So what is the value of a pig in the USA?



Well Dr. Dermot Hayes, an economist at Iowa State University, and Dr. Steve Meyer, a pig industry economist with Kerns & Associates, estimate that pig farmers will lose nearly $37 per pig that is brought to slaughter in these market conditions. Prior to COVID19, the industry analysts were forecasting earnings of $10 per pig on average for 2020.



"Farmers are being left with too many pigs on their farms and with very few options to sell, it is now cheaper to kill the animals, instead of trying to sell them", reports the Independent. [2]



NPPC president, Howard Roth, said "Hogs are backing up on farms with nowhere to go, leaving farmers with tragic choices to make," he said. Roth added "Dairy producers can dump milk. Fruit and vegetable growers can dump produce. But, hog farmers have nowhere to move their hogs."



How we calculated the potential loss of life: Using their figures of $37 per animal, which they claim amounts to a $5 billion dollar loss, we get this: $5,000,000,000. divided by $37 = ~135 million pigs.



Similar situations are happening on chicken farms in the U.S.

