Pigs not only have a complex history of domestication, but they also have impacted various cultures and societies. For starters, pigs served as several different symbols of status throughout history. Brett Mizelle, author of Pig, points out many of these instances. In Melanesia, for example, pigs “were central to ceremonial life.” Specifically, owning pigs and killing them represented high status (Mizelle 29). Romans as well, would hunt and kill pigs for “special occasions” (Mizelle 30). Pigs not only served as a symbol of wealth, however. In some cases, like in Upper Egypt, pigs actually represented the evil of Seth, who murdered Osiris (Mizelle 29).

Pigs also served in many entertaining performances. People successfully trained these “learned pigs” to solve math problems and even to spell. One in particular became so important to the civilization that he appeared in a song titled, the Lament of Toby (Mizelle 100). These pigs drew the public so intensely, Barnum and Bailey circus inducted them into the performance in the 19th century.

1898-Barnum & Bailey greatest show on earth--Troupe of very remarkable trained pigs

Mainly, the circus act centered on a woman carrying a “baby” that actually is nothing more than a dressed up pig. Even today, pigs still appear in circuses, but the famous “learned pigs” have pretty much disappeared after the accidental electrocution of “Big Red” during an act (Mizelle 101). Nowadays, many would not think twice about whether or not the performers should do everything to protect the animals they work with, but it took until 2005 before the public felt enough sympathy for the animals to push for their protection (Mizelle 101).

As previously mentioned in the “Contact with Humans” section of this study, pigs served symbolically in many religious practices, including the Verracos pig sculptures in the Iberian Peninsula. The most famous sculpture of this kind appeared in Portugal, and the natives called it the “Porca de Murça,” or Murça’s sow (Manach). Modern locals who see this sculpture have a couple of legends surrounding the meaning behind this sculpture. Oddly enough, some even think it’s a bear instead of a pig, but rumor has it, that in the 8th century a wild boar, and a few bears, haunted the town. Eventually a villager murdered one specific she-beast that continuously escaped and brought turmoil to the town, and the villagers say the sculptures honors his bravery (Manach). Manach points out one other legend surrounding the sculptures, such as their use in judgment. If the town found the suspect guilty, red marks appeared on the sculpture.

Colors on the sculpture also represented whatever political party just won the ruling (blue vs. red). Though these two legends seem popular, Manach notes that they still do not explain just how numerous these sculptures were in the north and center of the Peninsula. However, they do give at least a window of insight into just how much impact pigs had in religion and culture within this region.

Beyond symbolic importance, pigs obviously served as a key food source as well. In Ancient Greece, pork became the most popular type of meat. Greeks originally preferred the wild pigs because “they were leaner and tastier,” but eventually, many different regions started to farm pigs from their pork (Food).  Clearly today, pork still remains an extremely popular food source all over the world.

Pigs not only benefited historical cultures, but they also still benefit culture today. One key way pigs still serve civilization is the use of them as a “stand-in” for biological processes. Basically, scientists figured that the anatomy of pigs’ organs appeared so similar to humans’, that maybe they could use them for patients who needed transplants. Brett Mizelle illustrates that the first attempt to use pigs for human biological processes occurred in 1906, and they chose pigs for their organ’s similarity in size to humans’. In this case, doctors tried to replace an ill woman’s liver with a pig’s (Mizelle 110). The process did not prove successful, so scientists eventually had to genetically modify the pigs and the organs to try and get them to function properly with the human body. They initially attempted to modify the organs by injecting them with jellyfish protein, but it turned the organs green, and it still proved unsuccessful. Even today, according to Mizelle, the medical industry still faces “technical, legal, and ethical hurdles to overcome” (Mizelle 110).

Pigs also aid the scientific community when using piglets for microbiome research (Pigs). In China specifically, they chose piglets because they too have a similar anatomy and immune system to humans.

pig research

 

One would not automatically link pigs and humans right off the bat, but it would certainly appear they have many similarities to humans and therefore get to serve as the test subjects for human research. They tested this research first in 2007, when they injected bifidobacterium and bacteroides from a young boy into a pig’s gut. After twelve days, they compared the pig’s gut to a “healthy human donor,” and it looked extremely similar (Pigs). The similarity of the pig’s gut to the healthy donor’s gave scientists hope that they could most likely keep performing the experiments without harming the pig’s overall health or immune system.

However, many drawbacks exist with the project. For starters, scientists still know relatively little about pig genetics, and pigs cost more than the usual lab animal. Even further, some of the pigs did end up dying when the researchers accidentally injected with human bacteria containing a strain of pneumonia. This relates back to the argument discussed in the section on the effects of domestication on pigs, which debates whether or not human development justifies the sacrifice of an animal, and if it constitutes as a sacrifice at all. Researchers themselves note that while drawbacks do exist, “Humanizing pigs could be the best thing you can do for human drug testing” (Pigs).

Lastly, since Upton Sinclair’s The Jungle, the evils of pork production became a topic of public interest. Nowadays, with the packaged meat and “farms” distant from the consumer, the engagement with the livestock itself has all but diminished (Brantz). Today, raising pigs for pork is commercial, efficient, and closed off from the public. In the EPA’s article Pork Production, they point out a few general points concerning pork production:

  • As early as 2000, surprisingly, less than 100,000 farms produced pork at all.
    • The companies that did produce pork were mainly located within the Corn Belt states and North Carolina
    • During most of the 19th and 20th centuries, pork was the top meat in America, and is now the most “widely consumed meat in the world”
    • Hogs were used not only for meat, but for lard- used in cooking, lamp oil, baking, and making candles and soaps
    • As previously mentioned, now they focus on making the pigs leaner because Americans have begun to care about their health
    • Unfortunately, only the big corporations survive, and the family-owned pig farms rarely last
    • China is actually the largest pork producer, but the United States is definitely up there
    • Other non-food products come from pigs as well:
      • Insulin for diabetics
      • Human heart surgery valves
      • Suede- shoes and clothing
      • Gelatin- Jello
      • Water filters
      • Insulation
      • Rubber
      • Antifreeze
      • Plastics
      • Floor waxes
      • Crayons
      • Chalk
      • Adhesives
      • Fertilizer

The EPA’s account of these factories also includes how the pigs are raised from birth to maturity:

 

  • After birth, sows moved to “farrowing” room- some places line it with hay like they would have in their natural habitat, but this is costly
    • clip pig’s sharp teeth and wean from mother at 2-3 weeks
    • then hold pigs in nursery- temperature-controlled

Nursery Pigs

  • afterwards, held in a growing roomfed ground up corn and soybeans
    • not really heated in winter, but ventilated in summer- grow best at 60-70 degrees
    • animals get much bigger at this point and produce “lots of body heat”

In an online article by K. Mathews, in the article “Productivity gains increase U.S. commercial pork production,” he points out the rapid increase of pork production in the United States and its impacts on society.

  • “From 1977 to 2012, commercial pork production in the United States increased 174 percent from slaughtering more and bigger hogs”
  • “A major contributing factor is genetic improvement of animals from lard-producing hogs prior to the 1980s to leaner meat-type hogs, which is evident in improvements in meat quality and weight gain per animal.”
  • average weight young hogs up 25%
  • US pork industry becoming restrictive- “live imports” from Canada- 5.5% of all US “hog supplies”

Evidently, large-scale pork production has grown rapidly in America, and the government has begun increasing restrictions on the industry to try and ensure the safety of the animals and the consumers. However, with any commercial factory system, when there’s a will there’s a way, and companies will continue to find ways around the laws preventing them from making more money. For this particular industry, it appears live imports from Canada is where the future lies, and this brings forth an entire new realm of ethical, political, and economical issues.

It is also important to acknowledge that while this system works as a factory, it appears to be well-regulated and simply focuses on efficiency rather than quality. However, the food industry as a whole hides much from the public, as they hire lobbyists to convince the FDA to enact laws with a lot of wiggle room for the major food suppliers. One documentary in particular title Food Inc., outlines some of the more gruesome issues of the food industry, many revolving around mistreatment of the animals. Until America gets back to a state of “interaction” with the animals brought to the dinner table, no one can truly trust the all too powerful and profit driven food industry, including the overly commercialized pork industry.