The National Pork Producers Council responded on Sunday to the rapid outbreak of swine flu in humans.  Take a look at the story from the Wall Street Journal http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124078095392057087.html and visit the Council’s website at http://www.nppc.org/News/PressRelease.aspx?DocumentID=24676 to read the organization’s formal response. During an April 26th White House briefing, U.S. Department of Homeland Security Sec. Janet Napolitano said people cannot get swine flu from eating pork. 

 

We will see how this one plays out for an industry that is already reeling from lower demand coupled with higher feed prices. Now producers have to deal with the misconception that pork products are associated with swine flu. Analysts say that the industry’s recovery will not be sustained if consumers start to change their spending habits and buy non-pork products – the threat of weaker demand would send hog prices tumbling.