Stories abounded that bacon was soon be in shortage last week. Bacon prices may go up in future months, but the breakfast staple isn’t going anywhere.
The concept of a shortage started in Europe in early September when Britain’s National Pig Association (NPA) said pig farmers around the world would be affected by the increase in pig-feed costs. A drought in the midwest that increased the prices of corn and soybeans, two main components of a pig’s diet, created this scare.
A couple weeks later the NPA claimed a shortage would be unavoidable in a press release. There has been a decrease in the number of pigs throughout Europe, and the NPA said the problem is being seen across the world.
Despite the initial fear, there will not be a shortage, according to the American Farm Bureau Federation. Bacon will still be available at local grocery stores, but prices are expected to rise due to the drought that has affected the harvest.
“The swine industry would be affected,” animal science sophomore Claudia Melgar said. “If there was a shortage of bacon, then there is a shortage of pigs. To cover the costs of production, they would have to increase the prices.”
More than 50 percent of the country and almost 80 percent of America’s agricultural land has been affected by the drought, whether by producing bad crops or expensive feed, according to a press release by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA).
With the increase in feed prices, herds are expected to decrease. According to the USDA, U.S. hog producers hope for 2.85 million sows (female pigs) to have a litter of pigs, from September to November this year. This number is down 3 percent when compared to the number of expected litters during the same period last year.
“The fact is that we aren’t dealing with something where you can just go get more supplies,” animal science senior Katie Kavetsky said. “You have to wait for the pigs to grow and they’ll have to breed more sows. If they don’t breed as many sows, it will mean less piglets.”
With money being a large factor in this bacon issue, William Plummer, a professor for the animal science department, said he hopes “the U.S. pork producers would be willing to make up the difference,” in costs.
Tayler Duprel contributed to this staff report.