A 26-story indoor pig farm is now operating in the Hubei province of China. The facility is being labeled an environmentally friendlier approach to meat production. However, experts have warned of increased zoonotic disease risk, alongside ethical concerns.
The facility is the largest of its kind in the world. It is said to have capacity to slaughter up to 1.2 million pigs per year. It has been built to address China’s growing demand for pork, which remains the most popular meat in the country.
Farming in the building began in October, when almost 4,000 female pigs were brought in. When fully operational, the facility — plus a near-identical second building sat behind it — will be able to house 650,000 animals combined.
From cement to pigs
The company behind the farm – Hubei Zhongxin Kaiwei Modern Farming – is new to the pig sector. It was previously invested in China’s cement industry until construction and cement saw a downturn in profitability. Subsequently, it looked to animal agriculture for new revenue and used its own materials to construct the mega farm.
The structure is highly automated and being touted as an environmentally friendly endeavor. The factory will process and reuse pigs’ waste to make biogas, a mixture of gases that can act as a renewable energy source, thus powering the farm itself. It has also been claimed that the skyscraper-style farm model is more land-efficient and bio-secure.
The latter is a matter of urgency for China. The country saw millions of pigs culled as a result of the 2018 African swine fever outbreak. This plunged the country into a food security crisis that has left it grappling to recover its domestic pork production ever since. However, experts have commented that less meat is the key to building a sustainable future, not intensifying its manufacture.
“This is worrying news from China,” Nick Palmer, head of Compassion in World Farming UK told Plant Based News.
“Rather than developing new ways to produce more animal products to satisfy ever-growing demand, we all need to be consuming less but better meat, fish, and dairy. In a world of growing climate, nature collapse, and pandemic emergencies, we should be working to end factory farming, not designing and building even more intensive mega farms.”
China’s pig farm raises disease concerns
Despite China’s Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs signing off on high-rise pig facilities, environmental experts have questioned the move.
Some have acknowledged that closed buildings could limit interactions between wild and farmed animals. However, they also hypothesize that should an infection find its way into a high-rise plant, it would spread without prejudice.
Dirk Pfeiffer, chair professor of One Health at City University of Hong Kong, spoke to the Guardian about the matter. “The higher density of animals, the higher risk of infectious pathogen spread and amplification, as well as potential for mutation,” Pfeiffer said.
“The probably even more important question will be whether this type of production is consistent with the need to move towards reduced meat consumption, considering the apparently unstoppable threat of devastating climate change.”
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Hopefully the oceans of odorous waste will be completely recycled and not allowed to generate flesh eating bacteria as found in coastal North and South Carolina.
‘Periodic heavy rain events, cause sewerage ponds on swine operations to overflow and the run-off, ends up flowing to coastal estuaries.
its fine
horrific!!! speechless 😶
The world and its madness and addictions keep getting more outlandish and horrific. To think this actually got the green light when it came from a mad persons mind defies belief.
So agree!! It’s unbelievable this animal abuse . It needs to stop!!
I am shocked, but not surprised, that China would find a way to raise and kill more animals. The cement skyscraper building is something out of a horror movie. Unbelieveably cruel, imhumane, and I am guessing very frightening for the pigs. Sad state of our humanity.
As a vegan myself, I acknowledge that going “whole-hog “ vegan just seems “too hard” for individuals in many cultures (ours, too) to fathom or to attempt – it’s just not what we know how to do (home or restaurant cooking).
So, here’s an idea ….
Let’s begin to gently promote the idea that all of us simply CUTTING DOWN a bit on the amount of animal products consumed by EACH one of us would make an enormous difference for the animals themselves, the environment, and for our health. Perhaps people would stop feeling “vilified” and would have the opportunity to discover the tasty things can be done with fresh vegetables, grains, fruits, etc.
Baby steps like these , along with with non-threatening education (about where our food comes from) might add up to a much bigger decrease in animal agriculture than the message that everyone should adopt a totally vegan lifestyle.
And, long story short – As long as consumers support current business practices, why would businesses change?