About 500 hogs have been culled on the pig farm in Alberta where the new swine flu virus was detected. The cull was not due to the animals possibly being sick or carrying the H1N1 A virus but rather due to overcrowding. Normally the farm would be sending about 100 animals off the farm weekly to market, while at the same time 100 piglets are born to replace those that are sent off the farm. With one half of this process not taking place due to the quarantine, the number of pigs on the farm has increased beyond the capacity of the farm to properly care for them forcing the need for a cull.
Up to this point I have no problems with what has taken place because the farm only has so much capacity and with the increased numbers on the farm it makes sense for such a cull.
Now here is what I am having a BIG problem with.
Alberta's chief veterinarian Dr. Gerald Hauer said the following; "Everything is obviously being diverted from the human food chain and actually we're diverting it from the rendering chain as well, just to be on the safe side."
After doing everything they can all last week to tell the world that there are no valid reasons for countries to close their borders to Alberta pork because it is safe; the chief veterinarian of Alberta tells us that "to be on the safe side" that they are going to keep these animals not only out of the human food chain but out of the rendering chain as well.
Talk about validating the decision of countries like China to close borders to Alberta pork. I mean if China or anyone else are closing borders to be on the "safe side" how can we now argue the point.
Sunday, May 10, 2009
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3 comments:
It's the BSE thing, don't want to have an unfortunate surprise years from now.
Perception os everything.
According to Wikipedia, the aardvark is also called a “earth hog” or a “earth pig”.
I’d be a high tailing it for the hills if I was you!
The Provincial vet could have easily said something like this: While this meat is completely safe for human consumption, we unfortunately have to remove it from the food chain to keep the integrity of the existing quarantine intact.
This does 2 things; it states that the Alberta pork is safe and showcases to the world the efforts of the gov't towards making it that way. Telling everyone we are doing it to be on the safe side only makes the perceived problems worse.
Earth pig, I like it. It should help with my environmental street cred'.
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