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Truth & Fiction About A State Pig Ban

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IPR News Features

Date:

April 19, 2012

File Photo: Peter Payette

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By Peter Payette & Linda Stephan

For well more than a year, Interlochen Public Radio has been reporting on a possible ban in the state of Michigan of certain types of pigs. The ban passed and went into force April 1st.

The headlines for this story have never seemed sexy. But now that the ban is in place, a series of viral articles depict the state conservation officers as armed thugs raiding small farms.

The articles are full of misrepresentation and exaggeration. We're convinced at least one photo at the top of a story by Natural News is doctored.

As far as we can tell at IPR, small farms raising heritage pigs have not been targeted so far. No small, heritage pig farmers have contacted us saying they've been visited by the state Department of Natural Resources, and officials say they've focused efforts so far on hunting ranches and breeders who raise pigs for sport.

But the ban does raise real questions for some small-scale pig farmers. In our audio story, IPR's Peter Payette unravels some of the facts & fiction about Michigan's new ban on certain types of pigs.

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See More: boar, feral pigs, feral swine, wild pigs

Comments

If we can agree that false

Submitted by Jim Moses (not verified) on April 20, 2012 - 10:04am.

If we can agree that false and inflamitory "claims" serve no good purpose, then we should question some of the "claims" made by the DNR. My dictionary does not allow for "feral" pigs inside a fence, fed, managed and owned by a farmer. Does the DNR own a dictionary? I feel video of wild hogs in Texas and Tennesee is not proof of wild hogs in Michigan. If we are to judge these matters on facts and not unsubstantiated "claims", let us do so on both sides. Try to find someone, not allied with CAFO pork, who believes DNR claim of two "species". This is simply not backed by science. Where is the evidence of wild pigs? Many have concluded that they are mostly "phantom" pigs whose goal in life is to "justify" DNR's buget. More pigs, less Big Brother.

Congrats

Submitted by JTHoagland (not verified) on April 20, 2012 - 8:10am.

Congratulations on a well thought out piece and perspective on this issue.

Truth & fiction About A State Pig Ban

Submitted by Wilhelm W. Kohl (not verified) on April 20, 2012 - 6:53am.

Thank you Peter for a clean report on this issue. Most other reporting on it so far has been mostly based on fear mongering and thinly veiled attempts to sensationalize an issue basically directed at a single animal, the Russian Boar & crosses there off. These animals are bread for hunting purposes, not for food, and as far as we know, one single Michigan farmer, Mark Baker, is actually in any danger of loosing his pigs, which are all Russian Boar & Mangalitsa crosses. Mangalitsa is a European Lard Pig, bread for its quality white lard and highly marbled meat, also know as the "Kobe Beef of Pork". These animals have become very popular among chefs at 5 star restaurants for their great taste, and one other additional benefit. Their meat is considerable higher in monounsaturated fatty acids, which is the good fat. Pure Mangalitsa pigs of course are not covered by this ISO, and instead of being hunted for trophies, they are used in diabetes and heart disease by researchers at Auburn University.

Two or even One is a thousand tomorrow -- bureaucracy rule

Submitted by JHRaichyk,PhD (not verified) on April 24, 2012 - 1:29pm.

In the world of controversy when some new IMPOSITION is put in place by government, the sign of even ONE treacherous violation of the agreements under the law by government bureaucrats is guarantee that tomorrow, there will be a dozen and the year later it will be universal treachery. There's more than one small farmer who is fighting this ISO ban being applied to farmers, and choosing the ordeal of the courts. The idea is clearly a violation of the agreement that the farmers, including the reserve hunting farms, had with the LEGISLATORS, namely that NO HARM WOULD COME TO PIGS ON THEIR OWN SPACE. As far as 'some' coverage of this treacherous DNR + CAFO interests operation, there are plenty of indications of government doing grossly unconstituional things, from NDAA to Fast&Furious, ad infinitum in the last dozen years. There's plenty of reason to consider this Michigan imposition on small farmers to be part of a bigger picture of out-of-control government bureaucrats. And if you think the combo of DNR and CAFO is tin-hat thinking, guess again, because the challenging farmer has uncovered the list of sponsoring lobbies behind the DNR treacherous lies as the basis for ISO-ban on the small farmers' pigs. That list includes MAJOR bigtime CAFO membership. That 'inside the owner's fence' agreement on what the law would require should include the hunting preserves as long as there was no pig escaping and causing harm, then they would be a demonstrated nuisance and be liable to pay for their damages. Don't believe the government lying to hide what they are going to do. Their intent is already manifestly 'mis-applied' to the detriment of small farmers

Pig ban

Submitted by Todd (not verified) on April 19, 2012 - 9:19pm.

Thank you IPR for getting the facts out on this ban.