Feral hogs being poisoned with bacon preservative

Monday, October 6, 2014

In a cruel twist of fate, America's five million feral hogs may soon be poisoned by the very preservative that cures the flesh of their domesticated counterparts.

The Associated Press reports that sodium nitrite, already used to poison feral swine in Australia and New Zealand, is being tested by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. It's currently illegal to poison pigs in the United States, but hunting and trapping have been inadequate controls for the problematic porkers. Wild pigs cost approximately US$1.5 billion a year, which includes $800 million in agricultural damage.

Feral pigs do more than just uproot veggies and eat crops. In 2006, three people died and 200 were sickened by a batch of California spinach tainted with E. coli. Wild pig feces were identified as a likely source of the bacteria.

Sodium nitrite is much more toxic to pigs than people, so it should be safe to use. So far, it hasn't reached the 90 per cent kill rate needed for Environmental Protection Agency consideration. Also, challenges have arisen in making the bait palatable and enticing, and creating a bait container other animals can't break into. So hogs are safe, for now. BP