Organic standards that span North American borders came into effect in June and are accompanied by poor pork prices. There are already reports of a renaissance in “outdoor pigs” as pork producers explore new avenues of profitability.
Andrew Peregrine wonders what that is going to bring to his laboratory at the Ontario Veterinary College in Guelph. Peregrine, a clinical pathologist, says he “does a very tiny bit of teaching about parasites.” Pig parasites “literally disappeared” when nearly all pigs were moved indoors 20-30 years ago. Vets still see the pig roundworm indoors, along with whipworm, but both are more often seen outdoors.