Swine Flu: Was I right to kill?
I am a farmer from Herefordshire, UK. I have been working with livestock for over 20 years, and am known county-wide for my fine cuts of pork. Pigs are, in short, my life.
Recently I had to make a horrific decision. I came home to find one of the pigs, Crippen, was sneezing. I thought long and hard about what I should do, then, with tears welling in my eyes, I picked up my shotgun. With the threat of swine flu spreading, I simply had no choice.
I killed 8 pigs, a cow – and also my beloved horse, Treasure Tim.
Now, heartbreakingly, I have been told that the pig might just have reacted as it was cold.
I cannot believe this is true. As a farmer for my whole life, I have never witnessed a sneezing pig. Please let me know – SCIENTIFICALLY – if I made the right choice.
22 Responses
dontwobears@sbcg
02 Mar 2010
PC User
02 Mar 2010
Swine flu doesn’t come from pigs
it comes from viruses
so sorry =|
P.S. try again Sr. Troll
SPL Texas
02 Mar 2010
I have heard a lot of atheists on here – so yes it must be true! (smile)
Sleep tight! See
02 Mar 2010
Wrong choice….you don’t have a farm you have a slaughter house. I have always heard that too much non pasturized milk is deadly to the brain.
Almost Normal
02 Mar 2010
This is to answer your main question – As a farmer you had a right to kill your animal…
Spiral
02 Mar 2010
I hope this is a joke.
Before you killed your animals, you should have asked a vet.
It doesn’t matter how long you have been a farmer. Contact a professional in animal health before you do something as ignorant as this.
CB
02 Mar 2010
If you wanted to do things scientifically then you would have had some sort of animal doctor (veterinarian?) check out your animals before killing them. Animals get sick just like people do – and you can give them medicine – just like we do when people get sick.
I am sorry that you made this hasty decision and now seem to be regretting it. I can’t even imagine how you must be feeling…. terribly sorry
Tom
02 Mar 2010
pork comes in fine cut?
Shadow
02 Mar 2010
If you really think there’s something threatening your livestock you should put it down, especially if it’s how you make money (You should always do it humanely). However, make sure it’s actually a threat before you jump to conclusions and start blasting farm animals.
Shanden G
02 Mar 2010
I had a pot belly pig named Millie and she used to sneeze all the time. Like if she got something stuck in her nose while eating. She got a cold once also.
DigitalGhost
02 Mar 2010
Sounds like you jumped the gun…
No pun intended.
Don’t you have veterinarians in Herefordshire?
Happy Penguin
02 Mar 2010
This question is so silly it does not even bear answering.
It is also rather insulting to British farmers…
Why?
02 Mar 2010
Why didn’t you kill your dog too?
Occulty Don̵
02 Mar 2010
This is the wrong category!
I’m reporting you!
Everyone should only post material that I approve of!
BodaciousBen
02 Mar 2010
OK Swine flu does come from pigs Hence "swine" flu…
and yes you did make the right choice, pigs usually dont just sneeze
The Relucent Rhi
02 Mar 2010
That’s so sad :/. Did you not think to ask a vet first?
Soldier of Jah A
02 Mar 2010
How about a religious answer?
Dont raise pigs
It says in Leviticus that you should only eat animals with a cleft hoof and chews the cud
And it is wrong to kill animals with swine flu
We should be killing humans who dont have swine flu
Just Wondering
02 Mar 2010
No. Scientifically, you should have taken a throat culture from the pig to see if it really had swine flu.
Personally, I would have taken the pig and hit the TV talk shows. A sneezing pig could bring in some big bucks!
Jonny
02 Mar 2010
Swine flu is the same as any normal flu the only reason it was deadly was because are immune system had never come across it before.
I belive that killing those animals was the wrong choice, if you have a family to think of. e.g. Kids or elderly people living on the farm around the animals, it could be classed as a right choice because its for the benefit of your family but it may have not been swine flu,
Sorry for your lose.
Scarlet Redblood
02 Mar 2010
Well, you acted on what you knew and saw, which was a sneezing pig. The pig sneezing could have been anything, from the common cold tp swine flu. If it was swine flu, then you made a right choice. But if it wasn’t, then you obviously made the wrong choice. But now that the pig is dead, no one will ever know. So it was more like it wasn’t a ‘good’ or ‘bad’ choice, but just a choice. Overall, though, you should look at what you did and decide whether you made the right choice or not.
Schmecky 4-ever!
02 Mar 2010
Uh oh… I think that was your wife who just sneezed.
Jersey Devil
02 Mar 2010
Have you heard that people used to say that a black US President would be elected when pigs could fly; well the first black US President was elected and in less than 100 days into his office, Swine Flu.
Perhaps you could ask Pres Barack Hussein Obama to spread some of his wealth to UK citizens and compensate you for your loss. You could also consult a vet next time one of your farm animals sneezes because there are now reports that an 8 year old boy and his 10 year old sister from the state of New Mexico contracted Bubonic Plague, the boy died and the girl is still undergoing treatment in a hospital. There was also another US report about a cat in Nevada being infected with Bubonic Plague, so who knows if the "Pandemic" that world scientists have been warning us about is getting closer. So please, do check with a vet before you put one of your animals to sleep forever.
I`m really sorry for your loss and will pray that it never happens again.
I have worked in the Medical Field for 40 years. Having said that, you must understand that Pigs can get colds just as we humans do, their physiologic make up is simular, but not the exact same. Also, the "Swine Flu", is actually no differant than any other strain of Flu Virus. The Individuals that have contracted this flu in the US and have died from it, actually died as a result of "Other Complications" primary to the flu, like COPD (Chronic Obstuctive Pulmonary Disease, Depressed Immune Systems and the like). It is with sorrow that I relay to you that the extermination of your animals was useless. It is always important to consult Medical Authorities FIRST, before taking extreme measures, but I do feel for you and the decision you made, which was a heart-felt sacrifice that you made on the dehalf of your community. In that…..Thank You!!! Your efforts are well noted.