Pigs: Rearing and World Distribution | Livestock | Economic Geography

In this article we will discuss about the process of rearing and world distribution of pigs.

Rearing of Pigs:

Pigs (hogs or swine) were reared in China as early as 2,900 B.C. and the Chinese have long been known as great lovers of pork in all its varied forms. In Western Europe, too, pork is an important foodstuff, and large quantities of processed pork, e.g. bacon, ham are also produced.

But in many parts of the world, especially where the population are mainly Muslims, Jews or Hindus, pork is not eaten for religious reasons. Regions such as the Middle East and large parts of Africa are therefore non-pig-rearing areas and remain blank on.

Domesticated pigs are descended from the wild boars of the forests which fed on cones, nuts and seeds. Pigs are still omnivorous feeders, eating practically anything that is given to them, including domestic and farm wastes, roots, leaves and rice bran. They are easily kept indoors or out, and because the sows litter 6-8 piglets (compared to one or two young for cows or sheep) they multiply rapidly.

They also mature quickly and thus always provide a source of meat. They are thus easily reared even in the most densely populated parts of China where pasturage is too scarce, for much animal farming.

In Denmark, the Netherlands, Germany and the United Kingdom, where many pigs are reared, they are kept as scavenger animals on mixed farms and dairy farms, feeding on skimmed milk and farm wastes. But the best forage crops for pigs as for other animals are cereals, such as rice, barley, maize, oats, sorghum, rye; alfalfa, clover, soya beans and any kind of legume.

In the U.S.A., especially in the Corn Belt where the bulk of America’s 55 million pigs are found, they are fed on such crops. Pigs (usually called hogs in America) were traditionally let loose in the cornfields and feed on the corn.

This was described as ‘hogging down the corn’. Nowadays pigs are largely ‘factory farmed’ in the U.S.A. and Europe. The pigs are easily fattened and reach peak condition within 4 to 6 months. The quality of the pork is very high and therefore fetches a good price.

World Distribution of Pigs:

The pig is one of the few animals that is not restricted by climatic factors. It can be reared any­where either indoors or outdoors and is not at all demanding in its feedstuffs. The world’s pig-rearing areas fall into four distinct zones.

1. Eastern Asia:

China is the most important pig-rearing country, accounting for more than a third of the world’s swine. The pig is also reared extensive­ly in Korea, Hong Kong, parts of Japan, the Philip­pines, and in continental South-East Asia. Pork is sold fresh or is sometimes made into sausages, but bacon is not important. Pigs are an integral part of the Chinese farm, but the conditions in which they are kept are poor, often dirty, and the pigs are usually small in size.

2. Europe:

The Europeans eat much pork but tend to prepare it in different ways from the Chinese. Smoked or cured pork or bacon, sausages and ham are some of the main products. The U.S.S.R., West Germany and Poland are the largest pig producers but many other countries including the Netherlands, the U.K., France, Italy, and East Germany all have large numbers of pigs.

The greatest bacon specialist and a leading world bacon exporter is Denmark. It has 8 million pigs and the Danish Landrace breed is a world-renowned bacon pig. France, the Netherlands and Poland are great pork producers, especially in the form of ham, sausages and canned pork (luncheon meat). In Europe the pigs, which are large and well- grown, are kept in large clean piggeries.

3. North America:

The Americans and Canadians consume a great deal of pork. The greatest concentra­tion of pig rearing is in the Corn Belt, especially in the states of Iowa and Missouri, because of the avail­ability of abundant fodder supplies, including cereals, soya beans and clover.

Other factors include its central location for the marketing of pigs and the processing of pork and bacon in such long-established meat­packing centres as Chicago, Omaha, St. Louis, St. Paul and Sioux City. Large numbers of pigs are also found in the dairy region of southern Wisconsin.