The number of pigs being slaughtered but not used for food during the pandemic is staggering. The National Pork Producers Association estimates up to 10 million hogs could be euthanized between April and September. In Iowa, the nation’s largest pork-producing state, officials expect the backlog to reach 600,00 hogs over the next six weeks. In Minnesoata, 90,000 pigs have been killed on farms since the meat plants began closing. One Minnesoata farmer sealed the cracks in his barn and piped in carbon dioxide through the ventilation system. Another shot his pigs in the head with a gun. It took him all day. Disposing of the carcasses has been near to impossible. Local residents fear the large amount of buried decomposing bodies will contaminate the water supply. Another reason to greatly reduce the amount of meat you eat. Better yet, don’t eat any at all.
