Experts say the world could be on the verge of a significant bacon shortage because of rising feed costs and declining pig populations.
Britain's National Pig Association said Tuesday that an international shortage of bacon and other pork products is now "unavoidable," and expects higher prices for consumers soon.
Recent data shows Europe's pig population declining at an alarming rate "and this is a trend that is being mirrored around the world," the NPA said in a release. Every major pork-producing European nation has fewer pigs today than they did last year, even as demand for pork products has remained high.
'Farmers can't find a way to hedge their bets.'
—Gary Stordy, CPC spokesman
A crippling drought in the U.S. farm belt caused the price of corn and soy, two staples of agricultural feed, to skyrocket. Retailers have been thus far unwilling to pass those costs on to consumers, and instead have been paying pig farmers less for each pig.
The problem is not limited to Europe.
The Canadian Pork Council confirms that the size of North America's pig herd is shrinking, which will drive up prices as farmers start to limit supply.
"It's because of the rise in the price of corn," the agency's public relations manager, Gary Stordy, told CBC News. "Producers are losing money right now and like any other business, when you're not making money, you shut down."
'Market price' unsustainable
U.S. laws that mandate a certain percentage of the corn crop go into ethanol fuel for the transportation industry had lit a fire under corn prices even before the drought. The size of the continent's corn crop has been rising for a decade, before falling precipitously this year.
When that happens, other corn buyers, including pig farmers, get hit.
"You can buy futures for some commodities, but not feed," Stordy said. "Farmers can't find a way to hedge their bets, so they have to pay the market price," which has suddenly become unsustainable, he said.
The cost increases have made it no longer cost-efficient for farmers to raise pigs, NPA says. It recently warned that a fall of two per cent in the number of hogs slaughtered next year would push consumer prices up by 10 per cent
"NPA believes slaughtering could fall by as much as 10 per cent in the second half of next year, which indicates a doubling of the price of … pork and pork products," the agency said.
http://www.cbc.ca/news/business/story/2012/09/25/bacon-shortage-pigs.html
Vilerat didn't die for this.
francescakim asks:
How, as individuals, as a society, do you think we can try & help 'solve' some of these global issues (institution failure, poverty, drugs)?
David Simon says:
Commit, engage, resist, endure. All of that is necessary. These stories are not an argument for inertia, but neither are they pablum that assures anyone that simply being right-minded on issues will be enough for change. Capital has wedded itself to our governance and now, unless reform is fundamental and then, going forward, vigilant, our basic republican ideals are unlikely to prevail. The Occupy movement was a marvelous first act. No second act was forthcoming. Perhaps for the second act to become more essential for more Americans, things are going to have to get a lot worse before they get better. Real reform transpires, sadly but tellingly, in those periods of history in which desperation is more keenly felt. The Haymarket happened because Chicago lumberyard workers were starving and because Pullman workers no longer wanted to live as slaves in a burnished company ghetto and because someone finally picked up a brick. And because capital overreacted to the Haymarket, we arrived as a society with a 40-hour workweek. Vietnam ended because enough Americans declared that they could no longer trust their government to expend the lives of their sons for a meaningful defense of the society, but for other, more ambiguous and less justifiable purposes. The '68 riots were seen at the time as a disaster for urban America, but in fact, they marked a necessary turning point in American race relations. The riots themselves were awful, the scars ran through our cities for decades after. But by showing all of us a bifurcated America at war with itself, enough of us were convinced of the need for deeper, more committed political and economic equality in American life. Compare all that with what happened in 2008 on Wall Street and the fact there is still, among our financial leaders and within one of our two major political parties, an argument for less regulation of our financial processes. Again, sometimes things have to get worse to get better, for populist, utilitarian outcomes to trump ideology and money. Good news is that if we keep up with our nonsense, things will indeed get worse.
shennong posted:$20 on sugar crisp
doesn't count because by definition you can't get enough of that sugar crisp
swampman posted:We should do a forums betting pool, guess which food's sudden disappearance from supermarkets will first spark panicked looting..
*looks at pantry and belly laughs maniacally*
babyfinland posted:that is not accelerationism aerdil
that things must get worse before they get better is at the very least vulgar accelerationism babyfinland
aerdil posted:babyfinland posted:that is not accelerationism aerdil
that things must get worse before they get better is at the very least vulgar accelerationism babyfinland
he said sometimes. hes sayin that capitalism will always get worse and that thats a reason to be optimistic if youre hoping for a popular egalitarian social movement, because there cant be a sort of stagnant crummy status quo, things will get worse and worse and peopel wont take it anymore. thats basic socialist ideology, thats your dialectics. accelerationism is the strategy of making things worse intentionally because it will force dialectical magic to trigger and produce communism
yeah that sure is some accelerationism right there
GoldenLionTamarin posted:Hahahah. the bacon shortage is due to me eating so much of that epic stuff
whenever i use the toilet im just cackling megalomaniacally, its such a rush of power
GoldenLionTamarin posted:I love to eat the bacon. It's like eating pure Win.
bacon is basically a drug cocktail against fail aids
getfiscal posted:GoldenLionTamarin posted:I love to eat the bacon. It's like eating pure Win.
bacon is basically a drug cocktail against fail aids
Amen, brother
organizing, volunteering, discussing etc. i'm dead tired of being an internet only communist
Bablu posted:hey mr. getfiscal you know any Good things i can commit to in toronto, esp. around st. george campus?
organizing, volunteering, discussing etc. i'm dead tired of being an internet only communist
pm me if you want and i'll message you some ideas 
getfiscal posted:GoldenLionTamarin posted:I love to eat the bacon. It's like eating pure Win.
bacon is basically a drug cocktail against fail aids
My bacon vaporizer is a lifesaver.
Edited by swampman ()
HenryKrinkle posted:
Now THAT'S viral!
