Human and Societal Benefits and Costs of Pig Farming

Introduction

Most people are unaware that intensive pig farming has evolved into an agricultural industry primarily focused on raising live pigs for slaughter and processing into pork for human consumption. Piggeries, as the business is commonly known, serve as a vital food source in many countries. In America, pork ranks among the highest per capita consumption figures for red meat. The industry is reasonably attractive to investors, as its high capital requirements and inherently risky nature are offset by the stable demand of a freely available market.

The competitive structure of the industry includes two groups. The first consists of large commercial organizations — among the biggest are Robina, Foremost, and Monterey Farms. These firms engage in large-scale pig production, with herds typically numbering in the thousands spread across farms distributed over wide geographic areas. Backyard farms, which are considerably more numerous, comprise the second group. Backyard operations generally raise fewer than ninety pigs. Despite being dwarfed in scale, small-portion farms still hold the majority of the market share at approximately 75%. Competition exists both among groups and between backyard farms and large commercial companies, driven by the production of an essentially identical product sold to a general consumer.

Piggery commercial ventures represent a worthwhile investment for those who seek a manufacturing enterprise that leads among its agricultural peers and who are willing to accept the risks inherent in a business dealing in living animals. This paper will discuss the benefits and costs of pig farming for both humans and society.

Benefits of Pig Farming for Humans

Farmers who raise their animals on pasture enjoy a range of benefits, including the ability to raise their families in a peaceful environment and to eat nutritious, all-natural food. As discussed below, they are also largely spared the health hazards associated with factory farming. Equally important, many farmers are able to make a living selling their pasture-raised products directly to customers or restaurants. As the public becomes increasingly aware of the benefits of pastured products, thousands of small family pig farms are likely to remain viable.

Health Considerations and Environmental Contaminants

Pigs have the useful ability to convert indigestible feeds, forages, and certain grain by-products obtained from mills, meat products, spoiled feed, and food waste into nutritious meat. Most of these feedstuffs are either inedible or unpalatable to human beings in their raw form. Pigs also grow rapidly and are productive breeders, typically farrowing 12 to 14 piglets at a time and capable of producing two litters per year under optimal management conditions. The carcass yield from pigs is quite high, at roughly 60–80% of live body weight.

With a modest investment in housing and equipment, proper nutrition, and sound disease-control programs, a farmer can profitably employ his time and labor in this supplementary occupation. The manure produced by pigs can be used as fertilizer to maintain soil fertility.

However, there are aspects of pig farming that are not beneficial, particularly regarding the pollutants that can enter the environment from animal waste. These contaminants can reach the environment through various pathways — for example, through seepage from poorly constructed manure lagoons, or during heavy rain events that cause lagoon overflow and runoff from the application of waste to farm fields, or through direct deposition followed by wet or dry fallout. Runoff can sometimes leach through permeable soils into vulnerable aquifers that supply groundwater for human consumption. Nutrient-laden runoff can also find its way into surface water such as streams, lakes, and ponds.

Many of the contaminants present in livestock waste include nutrients, pathogens, veterinary pharmaceuticals, and naturally excreted hormones. Improper disposal of animal carcasses and poorly managed livestock facilities can also contribute to water quality problems in areas near concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs). Exposure to aquatic pollutants can result from both the use of contaminated surface water and from drinking water derived from polluted groundwater or surface water. High-risk populations include the very young, the elderly, pregnant women, and immunocompromised individuals. Dermal contact with contaminated water can cause skin, eye, or ear infections, and drinking water contaminated with pathogens may pose risks through vulnerable private wells (Assana).

Conclusion

Pig farming is an industry that is beneficial in many ways, but it also carries significant drawbacks. It is becoming a way of life around the world, and many are taking advantage of it as a means of producing cheap food. However, there are costs involved that many people do not adequately consider. The health effects associated with intensive pig farming are beginning to concern a growing number of people, and many wonder whether an industry that provides economic benefits to humans is worth the risks it poses to public health, the environment, and animal welfare.