A devastating virus sweeping through U.S. pig farms is killing millions of piglets and contributing to a steep rise in the cost of bacon. Porcine epidemic diarrhea has been wreaking havoc at farms in 27 states, with estimates placing the loss of pig life between 2.7 million and 6 million, according to the Post. All the piggy deaths have in turn made the cost of bacon—and to a lesser degree other pork products like ham and chops—rise by as much as 13% since last year, according to Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Scientists think PED originated in China, but are unsure how it settled on our shores. (For an expansive look at how an alarming number of species are being threatened by invasive viruses and fungi, we highly recommend Elizabeth Kolbert's new book The Sixth Extinction.) Farmers like Craig Rowles tried to keep the virus out of his Iowa farm, but despite cleaning and training efforts he still lost 13,000 babies in just a few weeks. The symptoms of the virus are familiar to anyone suffering from food poisoning; horrific, dehydrating diarrhea.
Unfortunately for the very young piglets, there's not much that can be done to save them. "It's very difficult for the people who are working the barns at that point," Rowles told the Post. "No one wants to go to work today and think about making the decision of baby pigs that need to be humanely euthanized because they can’t get up anymore. Those are very hard days."
With pork production already down 7 percent since last year, farmers are feeling the squeeze to meet pork demands; some have even reduced worker hours to make up for lost profits. Ultimately though, it's consumers who will be feeling the pinch in their wallets at the grocery store. Pork prices are expected to be about 10% higher this summer than they were last year. Get your bacon flights out of the way now.
