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Pig farming, pork farming, pig production or hog farming is the raising and breeding of domestic pigs as livestock, and is a branch of animal husbandry. Pigs are farmed principally for food (e.g. pork : bacon , ham , gammon ) and skins .
Intensive pig farming, also known as pig factory farming, is the primary method of pig production, in which grower pigs are housed indoors in group-housing or straw-lined sheds in establishments also known as piggeries, whilst pregnant sows are housed in gestation crates or pens and give birth in farrowing crates.
A demand for pork emerges, and so one or two farmers begin raising pigs. While pig supply is limited, prices are high – at this point of the cycle, pork is a rare good. More farmers realise the value potential and also begin raising pigs. As more and more piggeries come 'online,' the price begins to decrease as supply increases.
Farrow-to-finish is typically a confinement operation where pigs are bred and raised to their slaughter weight, usually 225-300 pounds. Facilities with a capacity of 2,500 or more swine are considered by the EPA to be concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs) subject to point source pollution permit requirements.
Toward the end of the 20th century, hog farming evolved from mostly small multi-use farms to large industrial style operations. Select Farms is one of many of these, and this hog-production method has occasioned criticism on account of the environmental impact of pig farming including air and water pollution, smell, visual blight, animal cruelty, social decay, and other issues.
"Breeds of Livestock - Swine Breeds". ansi.okstate.edu. Oklahoma State University Dept. of Animal Science. Ekarius, Carol (2008). Storey's Illustrated Breed Guide to Sheep, Goats, Cattle and Pigs. Storey Publishing. ISBN 978-1-60342-036-5
P. larvatus is very closely related to P. porcus, the bushpig from West Africa also known as 'red river hog', with which it can interbreed, [11] although others dispute this. [5] It is distinguished from the western pig by having a less reddish hair colour and the hair being coarser, longer and less dense. [6]
However, the local community of consumers has become skeptical of intensive industrial pig production. Safety factors, quality of meat and impacts on the environment are all reasons for the decrease of pig farming production throughout France. Organic methods for raising swine has enticed 23% of producers and majority of the consumers support this.