How 104 pigs disappeared from a quarantined Carroll County farm without their owner?s knowledge is hard to understand. They make a lot of noise. And they do not act like wild mustangs, born to be free.
We wonder if, as in the children?s rhyme, those little piggies went to market.
If they did, it means some pigs with trichinosis, a parasitic disease that can cause nausea, diarrhea and sometimes death in humans, could be carved up into pork loin and chops for human consumption. Some pigs from Carroll Schisler Sr.?s farm tested positive for the disease this spring, prompting the quarantine.
The small number of pigs means very few people would be exposed to the meat if the pigs made it to a slaughterhouse. And health officials said buying tainted pork is unlikely because it must pass through a United States Department of Agriculture-approved slaughterhouse.
But the farmers of contaminated spinach that sickened at least 187 people and killed one recently supposedly followed government-approved safe agricultural practices.
The best way to prevent tainted meat and produce from reaching market is to irradiate food. Federal law allows meat producers and produce growers to use gamma rays, X-rays or electrons to zap products. Irradiation does not affect taste or nutrition but it kills most bacteria and viruses that make people sick.
Science experts, the World Health Organization and U.S. health agencies say it is safe.
Some activist groups, including Public Citizen, say irradiation won?t fix bad farming practices, and try to scare people by saying it?s not safe. But since it can save lives and prevent entire crops from being banned and businesses from being ruined, it?s a good idea. Area health departments must champion the practice in public service campaigns. Marylanders deserve safe food.
