Hog feed problems hurting Utah farmers
UTAH - Four Utah farming families could be put out of business while federal inspectors decide what to do with more than 3,000 hogs that have been fed tainted feed.
11 May 2007
2 minute read
For the past three weeks, four farm families in northern Utah have been awaiting a decision from the US. Department of Agriculture on whether the pigs may be sent to slaughter.
Federal officials are conducting tests to ensure that the meat is not tainted with melamine, an industrial chemical that has found it's way into animals feed from ingredients imported from China.
The farmers cannot use the tainted feed they have already purchased - up to $10,000 in some cases, said Haven Hendricks, executive director of the Utah Pork Producers Association.
Lawsuits to recoup losses incurred as a result of the tainted feed could take three to five years - without assurances of any reimbursement, said Hendricks.
Source: The Salt Lake Tribune
