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Pigs at the Minnesota state fair have tested positive for the H1N1 "swine" flu virus in preliminary tests.
Confirmation tests are pending, but this could be bad news and cause panic within the pork industry. Pork belly futures and companies like Smithfield Foods (NYSE: SFD), Tyson (NYSE: TSN), and Hormel (NYSE: HRL) are a few that could be affected.
For the casual observer, the headline that pigs have the swine flu would not be newsworthy. A swine is a pig, so pigs having the pig flu isn't really news is it?
Initially, H1N1 was referred to as the swine flu. Then Egypt started slaughtering pigs and the World Health Organization (WHO) started insisting reporters refer to the flu to as H1N1. The WHO has worked very hard to not let bad news from H1N1 effect the pork industry. Earlier in the year, pigs in Argentina and other countries had been found infected with the virus.
It only took a few cases of mad cow disease to set off a panic in the beef industry a few years ago. Several countries, including Japan, banned American beef imports and prices plummeted. A similar panic could easily be set off in the pork industry, even if the Minnesota Pork Board insists pork is safe.
Ironically, the pigs may have gotten the flu from humans at the fair.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
10-18-2009 @ 2:02PM
Dev T. said...
2 bad no pork patties for the childern untill they filter out the external modifiers.
Will the japaneese get anti swine uniforms in schools made in mylasia like, there business suits.
I wore uniforms in private elementary school. They where made in the U.S.
patato chips. what effect, ripple, plain or sawdust fill.
I think pringles and lay's baked are the only pressed ones.
The parents had to buy them. My mom bought american.
serious. pork patties pre made stored at a standard.
pork processed at a standard. U.S.D.A. isn't the fibber.
My grandpa always feed slop to the pigs before it spoiled,
and grain after. especially vegigges and friuts.
the sine flu if you can't hear it, it doesn't mean it doesn't
hurt. voice app. under wraps without the freqs.
Dev T.R.E C.E.O.
Omraee Entertainment LLc.