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The term “pig farm” too often conjures up images of enormous intensive piggeries surrounded by acres of odorous manure lagoons. There are other options available, however, and these 7 amazing pig farms offer alternatives that are better for the environment, for our sense of morality, and most of all for the pigs themselves. [size=1em] Kibbutz Lahav, Israel[size=1em][img=468,560]http://cdn1-  [/img](images via: Forward and BBC) [size=1em]Is this kosher? Not really, but it IS legal: Kibbutz Lahav is Israel’s only officially authorized pig farm. The kibbutz itself was established in 1952 but the pig farming facilities were built to comply with a 1963 law that allowed pigs to be legally raised in kibbutzim for research purposes only though meat from surplus animals can be sold to end users elsewhere. As such, Kibbutz Lahav is comprised of the Institute for Animal Research along with an on-site processing plant that prepares pork products for sale to stores, hotels and other buyers. [size=1em]Animal trainer Giva Zin works out of Kibbutz Lahav as a matter of convenience: he trains pigs to find buried landmines and Kibbutz Lahav provides both the pigs and an acceptable place to keep them. Zin states it takes a pig half the time to train compared to a dog, and since rooting is what pigs do naturally they’re the ideal creature for the job. “There’s no doubt. Look at their noses! God designed them to go into the field and find mines.” explains Giva. “We’re training them, not for food, but to save lives.”[size=1em]Belgian artist Wim Delvoye is a vegetarian who operates “Art Farm”, a pig farm near Beijing, China. Nothing unusual there – Delvoye doesn’t eat the pigs, he decorates them. Commanding up to 1 million yuan (about $150,000) per “work”, Delvoye tattoos his pigs to order with the prepared skins going to the purchasers after the full-grown pigs are slaughtered. [size=1em]Tony York at Pig Paradise Farm in Eccleshall, Staffordshire, the UK raises pigs not so much for their meat but for what’s on the outside, such as his astonishingly shaggy, curly-coated Mangalitza pigs. [size=1em]The superficially sheep-like Mangalitza porkers are one of nine rare and heirloom breeds kept at Pig Paradise Farm, and are the first curly-coated pig population to exist in the UK since the heirloom Lincolnshire Curly Coat pig went extinct in 1972. Pig Paradise Farm is a popular day-tip destination for families and children who enjoy interacting with the farm’s unusual pigs and learning a little history in the bargain. Diving Pigs, Hunan, China[size=1em]Chinese farmer Huang Demin, like many of his neighbors, raises pigs for China’s growing pork products industry but he’s chosen an unusual way to go about it. Huang modified his Hunan province farm to be more pig-friendly… if you take the concept in a free range, boot camp way. Huang’s pigs not only get plenty of exercise the traditional way, they’re encouraged to dive into an on-site pond up to 3 times a day. [size=1em][img=468,691]http://cdn1-  [/img](image via: China Daily) [size=1em]The pigs are led along a twisting wooden walkway that takes them to a makeshift “diving board” 3 meters (about 10 feet) above the deepest part of the pond. Sort of like walking the plank, pirate style! Huang’s not just doing this for his (and the pigs’) amusement, he’s found the meat of his diving swine taste better and bring him 3 times the going rate when auctioned at the local meat market.
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Morocco’s Pig FarmsThe population of Morocco may be overwhelmingly Islamic but the country boasts a thriving pork industry with seven farms housing around 5,000 pigs. The farms are owned by one Christian, two Jews and four Muslims. “I’m a practicing Muslim,” explained 39-year-old Said Samouk, whose 250-pig farm is located 28 kilometers (17 miles) outside the city of Agadir. “I don’t eat pork and I don’t drink alcohol but it’s just a breeding operation like any other and no imam has ever reprimanded me for it.”The Moroccan pig farms provide pork to hotels and shops catering to tourists who frequent the country’s spectacular Mediterranean beaches. Said Samouk estimates his farm produces 270 tonnes of meat annually, providing 12 million dirhams ($1.6 million). Jean Yves Yoel Chriquia (above) owns Morocco’s main pork processing factory and runs a farm with around 1000 pigs. He buys marketable pigs from Samouk and other farmers with the meat consumed by foreign tourists and workers brought from China by construction projects. “We have more than doubled our sales in three years and it’s starting to snowball,”states Chriquia. “Hotels all over Morocco are calling me up for deliveries, but for the time being I can’t respond to all the demands. We’re getting there, little by little.” China’s Real “Happy Farm”Pig farming might not be a game but a pilot pig farm project in eastern China’s Jiangsu Province was inspired by one: “Happy Farm”, a hugely popular online game. The farm in Suining County doesn’t raise hogs in the expected manner. Instead, 500 so-called “pig villas” provide clean, environmentally-friendly digs for the pigs. Plans are in the works to build up to 2,500 houses floored with a black, powdery mixture of wheat bran, rice husks and sawdust that absorbs and breaks down waste without the use of chemicals. [img=468,635]http://cdn1-  [/img] Some have criticized the rather luxurious abodes but those involved with the project are quick to defend them. “These are not villas,” explained Hu Juchun, director of the Suining County Agricultural Committee, “they’re model breeding zones, as part of a project to develop breeding techniques for organic pigs.” Of course, these pigs are bred for food and not fun but when it’s time to pay the piper, organic pigs provide a much fatter profit margin. Pigs Peace Sanctuary, Washington, USALast but certainly not least is Pigs Peace Sanctuary, not a pig farm at all but – odd as it sounds – a pig sanctuary. Founded, owned and operated since 1994 by Judy Woods (above, top left), Pigs Peace Sanctuary is “a safe haven of love for pigs and their friends.” Around 200 pigs from abandoned pet pot-bellied pigs to a 600-pound Berkshire and Yorkshires. Each pig has a name and a story… and finally, a good life free of use, abuse and the threat of slaughter. Take a drive out to Stanwood, Washington if you’re ever in the area, you’ll be glad you did and so will the pigs. [img=468,10]http://cdn3-  [/img]
[img=468,700]http://cdn1-  [/img](image via: The Last Movieblog) While it would be impractical to eliminate industrial pig farming altogether, it’s important to realize that the most profitable method of raising domestic animals isn’t always the best method. At the same time, it’s impossible to ignore the fact that domestic pigs are living, breathing creatures whose existence isn’t predicated on providing pork products for our plates. Whether we raise them for show, for pets or for food, isn’t showing some humanity the “human” thing to do?
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Post time 7-2-2015 12:44 PM
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