Egypt has begun forcibly slaughtering pig herds throughout the country in an effort to curb the spread of swine flu, but the United Nations consider the move to be “a real mistake,” which is threatening the livelihood of many farmers.  The government aims to slaughter the country’s 300,000 pigs, despite no reported cases of swine flu in Egypt.  While the origins of swine flu, now referred to as Influenza A (H1N1), may be traced to unsanitary conditions on certain Mexican factory farms, the Egyptian governments actions seem unnecessary and overzealous, considering the virus does not seem to transmit directly from pigs to humans.  Nor can humans catch the virus simply by eating pork products.  The World Health Organization argues that killing the pigs has no scientific justification, however, some people in Egypt believe the slaughters may have a religious motive.

Most of the country’s pig farmers are Coptic Christian, and many think that the government, along with the Muslim majority who do not eat pork because of religious restrictions, aims to punish them economically.  While their intentions may not have been entirely malicious, you would think that other precautions could be taken prior to a mass slaughter, and at the very least to be sure that the farmers would be financially compensated for their loss.  Obviously governments should be cautious when faced with public health threats, but they should also be careful to avoid creating hysteria or ostracizing certain groups of people.  Let’s hope that the farmers will be somehow reimbursed, and that Egypt consults with leading health organizations before continuing such rash behavior.  We should strive for safer and healthier food systems, but not ones that are dominated by religious preference at the expense of other peoples livelihoods.

Photo: Clemson’s flickr photostream (creative commons)