Food banks are facing a stark reality due to the coronavirus pandemic. The shutdown of restaurants and shops has resulted in the almost complete suspension of pork supplies. Therefore, farmers are forced to put animals on a diet so that they grow more slowly and do not gain much weight. There are several ways to reduce the pigs' weight and one of them is to increase the temperature in the pen by 1-2 degrees. In hotter weather, the animals start eating less and do not gain extra weight. In addition, farmers along with nutritionists have developed a new diet that excludes protein and fat. This new way of feeding pigs will allow farmers to control their weight. It may seem a rather funny approach to tackle the issue but there is more to this matter than meets the eye. If the number of hogs continues to grow, it may lead to a real disaster for the US pork producers. For instance, South Dakota farmer Shane Odegaard usually sends about 15,000 pigs a year to a meat processing plant in Sioux Falls. However, this year he is unable to do so while the animals continue to grow and put on weight. Many industries in the livestock sector are experiencing the same problem. The poultry farm Allen Harim Foods sent the farmers a letter announcing its plans to start the "depopulation of the herd". Only time will show whether the chosen method will help solve this thorny issue.
