Bettering the Pig Life before the Plate in Asia

Although Asia is a seemingly far off continent in which their farming industry has little relevance to the U.S., the issues they are tackling can hit close to home quite quickly. Zoonotic outbreaks of SARS and H1N1 were the beginnings of global epidemics that proved that the way in which livestock and animals are handled is much more important to human health than we thought. The animal welfare and management in the countries of China, Hong Kong, Korea, and Vietnam continue to fall short of Western standards and with global trade markets and travel becoming more and more commonplace, action must be taken immediately to prevent another global disease scare. Housing in close quarters, cruel living conditions and inhumane culling practices are only some of the issues that are currently being brought to light in the Asian porcine industry. By the use of animal welfare groups in these countries, a community action project can be undertaken to establish an official farm animal welfare organization to educate the public on meat originations and health risks and diseases associated with improper meat handling.