Egyptian pork industry collapses

Egypt's pork industry has collapsed following a nation-wide culling of pigs in the wake of the swine flu outbreak, businesstodayegypt.com reported. Pork prices have skyrocketed 200%.

Even if the government acts on its promise of relocating pig farms to desert areas in Helwan, pork will remain a scarce commodity for the next three years, butchers said.

On April 29, Egypt's Ministry of Health and Population ordered the culling of the nation's entire population of pigs, numbering about 500,000. To purge pig-rearing from the streets of Cairo, the government also promised to relocate pig farms to desert areas near Helwan. The decision was being projected as an attempt to curb the spread of the H1N1 virus.

Following WHO's announcement that the disease is not transmitted from pigs to human, the government said that the decision was taken to restructure an industry under fire for poor hygiene and questionable feeding habits.