Bacon Shortage? It's Coming, British Group Warns
by Schuyler Velasco
Say goodbye to cheap bacon in 2013. In yet another consequence of drought conditions across the much of the globe this past summer, prices for bacon and pork will skyrocket next year, according to Britain's National Pig Association. “The world’s pig farmers are warning of a shortage of bacon and pork next year because pig-feed has become unaffordable following disastrous growing and harvesting weather,” reads a statement from the NPA released earlier this month. “Governments are becoming increasingly concerned.” A dry summer led to sparse corn and soy crops, driving up the price of hog feed. As a result, many hog farmers are thinning their herds. “A world shortage of pork and bacon next year is now unavoidable,” the NPA wrote in a separate statement last week. “New data shows the European Union pig herd is declining at a significant rate, and this is a trend that is being mirrored around the world. Pig farmers have been plunged into loss by high pig-feed costs, caused by the global failure of maize and soya harvests.” September 27, 2012
Copyright © 2012 Christian Science Monitor
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