Hogs and hyprocrisy

[Guest guest]

A report in the Saturday, November

27, Winston-Salem Journal reports on the hard economic times of North Carolina

pork processors and hog producers. This report is based on a story in the

Raleigh News & Observer.

The report indicates that

production costs are up and prices are down for North Carolina hog

“farmers.” The woes of NC hog producers are multiplied by

several pork processors going bankrupt. With the pork processors going

out of business, several of the producers no longer have anyone to whom they

can sell hogs; therefore, many hog barns are now empty.

I am not one to wish ill on

anyone, even industrial hog producers whose production methods foul air and

water. However, this is a perfect case of capitalism at work. The

“markets” indicate that there is too much pork, therefore some

producers need to go out of business. This is exactly how our

conservative friends tell us the economy should work. This is why they

tell us we need less government regulation, less government intervention, and

lower taxes. This is why we do not need regulations protecting the

health of the people who work in North Carolina agriculture or protecting the

health of the people who live in communities in which industrial hog operations

are located.

However, in light of their own

demise, the hog producers do not feel the vulgarities of the market should

apply to them. Rather, as reported in the news article, “industry

leaders scramble to find help from federal and state governments.”

“Deborah , the head of the N.C. Pork Council, said she is seeking

help, even inquiring whether the situation could quality [sic] for federal

disaster money. It doesn’t, but the federal government agreed last

week to buy $50 million worth of pork for school lunches and other federal

nutrition programs.” One farmer noted that he, “never

imagined his family would be applying for government assistance.

It appears that the agricultural

industry does not feel that market forces should apply to industrial

farmers. These are the same people who oppose any attempt to impose

environmental and occupational health regulations on farming. These are

the same people who complain about the federal government intervening to soften

the affects of the current economic crises for low income individuals through

jobs programs.

What is not clear is whether they

understand the level of their own hypocrisy.

A. Arcury, PhD

Professor

and Vice Chair for Research,

Department

of Family and Community Medicine

Director,

Center for Worker Health

Wake

Forest University School of Medicine

Winston-Salem,

NC 27157

Phone:

336-716-9438

Fax:

336-716-3206

E-mail:

tarcury@...