Death of the Pig Breeders - Romania's Agricultural Crisis
- 11 years ago
American company Smithfields has taken over the pork industry in Romania, putting 9 out of 10 traditional pig breeders out of business.
For downloads and more information visit: http://www.journeyman.tv/?lid=65999&bid=2
In 2004, American company Smithfield changed the Romanian agricultural landscape. Acquiring 75% of pig farms and their distribution networks, the corporate giant has put 9 out of 10 breeders out of business.
Like many small Romanian farmers, Andrei struggles to compete with the high-speed, low-cost farms of Smithfield: "I sell a piglet and can barely afford a pair of trousers for my son". The mass scale pork farming is producing huge quantities of polluting manure and urine, angering locals. And keeping up with international demand has forced standards to slip. As a former farm employee describes, "At 4pm we'd shut down the farm, and nobody would come in until the next morning. If some pigs died, the other ones would start eating them".
Wild Angle Productions
For downloads and more information visit: http://www.journeyman.tv/?lid=65999&bid=2
In 2004, American company Smithfield changed the Romanian agricultural landscape. Acquiring 75% of pig farms and their distribution networks, the corporate giant has put 9 out of 10 breeders out of business.
Like many small Romanian farmers, Andrei struggles to compete with the high-speed, low-cost farms of Smithfield: "I sell a piglet and can barely afford a pair of trousers for my son". The mass scale pork farming is producing huge quantities of polluting manure and urine, angering locals. And keeping up with international demand has forced standards to slip. As a former farm employee describes, "At 4pm we'd shut down the farm, and nobody would come in until the next morning. If some pigs died, the other ones would start eating them".
Wild Angle Productions