Savoring Swine: The Economics and Politics of Pork

First Reactions: Industrial Farms

1. Define the term sustainability as you currently understand it.

2. What have you heard, if anything, about the current system of meat production in the United States? Do you have any thoughts or feelings about it? What kinds of meat, if any, do you eat? Where do they come from? Do you know how they’re raised and slaughtered?

3. Those concerned with animal rights and welfare are highly critical of the current U.S. meat production system. What are their criticisms? Which, if any, do you agree with? Which, if any, do you disagree with?

4. In the introduction to the program, host Mark Sommer invites listeners to trace with him the trail from farm to fork, revealing the “true price of pork.” What does this phrase, “true price” mean to you right now? As you listen to the program, jot down anything you hear that contributes to the hidden costs of meat production. Hint: listen especially carefully to the interview with Michael Pollan.

Michael Pollan, journalist and professor of science and environmental journalism at University of California Berkeley, author of The Omnivore’s Dilemma

1. Do you agree or disagree with Pollan that animals should live “according to their natures?” What is the proper balance between treating animals well and keeping the costs of production down to a level that can be afforded by customers of modest means? Is it ethical to sacrifice the quality of their lives for cheaper meat?

2. What do you think of the practice of feeding cattle “chicken litter” and other animal byproducts, thus, in the view of some, increasing the risk of Mad Cow Disease? [listening link on page 2 starting with “and also the meat byproducts we feed this animals” ending with “we will feed to an animal that will eat it”]

3. How much do you think information about the details of meat production and slaughter will influence the public’s meat-eating habits? Do you want to know how the meat you eat has been raised? If not, why not?  For those not interested in knowing or unaffected by that knowledge, what else do you think would prompt consumers to alter their meat-eating habits? Should it be a matter of personal choice? Please explain your response.

4. Describe the differences between an industrial meat production plant and a small-scale organic farm like that of Joel Salatin in Virginia’s Shenandoah Valley.  If the end result is the same – the animals ending up on our dinner plates – does it really matter how they’re raised? [listening link on page 3 from “In doing m y research for the book” to “it is a whole other way to conceive it”] Use the bullets below to help organize your thoughts:

• Describe the general life of the animal:

• Health care of animal:

• Environmental effects:

• Efficiency:

• Diet of the animal:

• Death of the animal:

• Other:

5. Define monoculture.

Lisa Siebrecht, Eden Farms pig farmer, Curlew, Iowa

1.  Siebrecht talks about how pigs have been bred to be leaner over the years. What are the pros and cons of eating lean meats? Where does the information you know about fats come from? What’s the difference between good and bad fats?

2. Discussion: What are the tradeoffs between low-priced meat that has been raised in circumstances of extreme confinement and questionable safety and premium meat raised according to strict guidelines for health, safety and animal welfare but also unaffordable for many consumers of modest means? What is behind this trend in consumer spending? How much more, in dollar or percentage terms, would you be willing to pay for quality meat raised in livable conditions?

3. How can quality meat raised in humane circumstances be made affordable to low-income consumers?

4. Siebrecht says that younger people are reluctant to go into the business of raising hogs these days. The cost of land has skyrocketed, the equipment needed is expensive to purchase and maintain, and the return for one’s labor is minimal. She says the only way to make it pay today is to run it as a family operation.  What incentives might induce young people to choose the business of raising animals for meat? What kinds of policies, practices, or mentoring could be put in place to help them succeed?

Paul Willis, manager of Niman Ranch Pork Company, Thornton, Iowa

1. Like Michael Pollan, Paul Willis believes that even if the end destination for animals raised for the market is the same, the animal still deserves to have a better quality of life than most must endure in industrial meat production. He says that our current system is “like taking the industrial assembly line model that we use to manufacture cars…and manufacture meat instead this way.” Do you think we humans have a responsibility to treat animals differently from the machines we create and operate? Please explain your response.

2. Willis describes how many agricultural colleges used to promote industrial meat production as “the modern way,” the wave of the future. What promise do you think people saw in this approach? [listening link on page 7 from “were the agricultural extension agents and others” to “try to solve the problems”]

3. Imagine if you can the scale of these farms: thousands of pigs and cows confined together in what Michael Pollan calls “animal cities,” excreting tons of waste a day. Willis talks about the lethal methane released by such industrial meat production systems. As they are released into the atmosphere and drain into the soil and water systems, what are the larger environmental effects? Do some research online or use the bibliography provided with this study guide to help you find the answer. On a smaller scale, do you think it does anything to the meat you eat to have the pigs inside of these buildings inhaling these gases until the day they are brought to slaughter?

4. Willis says, “It seems to me that people sort of discover healthy food and go through kind of a one-way swinging door. It becomes something that’s on their minds.” Why do you think this is so? If you disagree, explain why.

Mark Boggess, Director of Department of Animal Science at the National Pork Board

1. Boggess says, “And so what confinement systems do is they take all that variation in environmental, ambient temperatures and precipitation and sun and sunburn…and they mitigate that and they make it much more comfortable for the pigs year round…most of the people that would like to see those sows outside don’t really understand the total ramifications of what weather and what climate…are on the way those sows maintain themselves.” From what you’ve heard in this program, do you agree or disagree with his assessment? Do you think confinement systems represent the best and most efficient way of raising livestock or do you favor a more free-range system?  What recommendations would you make for protecting pigs from weather extremes while allowing them to live outdoors?

2. Boggess asserts that large factory farms are the best way produce meat when you “talk about feeding an awful lot of people in the future.” What do you make of this argument? Do people need as much meat as we eat in the United States in order to be healthy?

3. How much meat do you eat and from what sources? What’s the balance in your diet between meat, fruits and vegetables, grains, dairy and sweets? If you’re a vegetarian, why have you made this choice? Where do you get the protein your body requires?

Dr. Temple Grandin, author and professor at Colorado State University

1. Dr. Grandin maintains that animal welfare absolutely matters to her, “but you can’t just say it’s the only thing in the equation.” What do you make of the middle ground on this issue? What factors besides the welfare of the animal must be taken into consideration in raising livestock for a livelihood? How would you balance consideration for the animals with the demands of the marketplace? Is there a middle ground?

2. Dr. Grandin and other guests on the program say there is a place for the smaller producers to sell their meat in high-end markets to people who are willing and able to pay the higher prices. But after what we’ve heard about the quality and safety of some of the meat produced in factory farms, does it concern you that only wealthy people can afford to purchase meat that meets these higher standards? What can be done to ensure safe, quality access to meat for consumers on limited budgets? [listening link bottom of page 11 and top of 12 starting with “I think where the family ranching can be economically viable” up to “but I strongly encourage these family farmer high end niche markets”]

3. Dr. Grandin discussed her work with McDonald’s to ensure food safety and improve slaughtering techniques. What else, if anything, do you think McDonald’s and other fast food companies could and should do to ensure the welfare and safety of the animals whose meat they use in their meals?  

Concluding Discussion Questions

1. Go back to Question 1 from First Reactions. Do you have a different understanding of sustainability now? Rewrite your definition.

2. Go back to Question 2 from First Reactions. After listening to this program, what are your thoughts and feelings about the U.S. meat production system? Have they changed? If so, in what ways?

3. After listening to this program and hearing about how commodity crops, the low cost of oil and other factors contributed to the industrialization of meat production, who do you now think should be involved in addressing the meat production issue and who shares the responsibility to do so? The chart below includes groups of people who might have a stake in how our meat is produced. Working with others, come up with other groups that are affected by meat production or might care about it. Then fill in the other two columns.

4. Go back to Question 4 from First Reactions: how many hidden costs of meat production were you able to find? What does the phrase, “the true cost of pork” mean to you now?

5. In your view, what – if any – connection is there between farming and environmental ethics? How can environmental awareness be applied to commercial farming? How to do you strike the proper balance between your principles, narrow profit margins and the often brutal demands of a competitive marketplace?