Changsha pig farm dumps chemically dissolved pigs into local river
Staff Reporter 2013-06-09 13:24
Inspectors from the local hygiene bureau investigate diseased pig carcasses at a farm in Hubei province. (File photo/CFP)
A pig farm in Changsha in central China's Hunan province has been found using an alkaline solution to dissolve pig carcasses before dumping the mixture into the nearby Xiang River, a source of drinking water for the area, reports our sister paper Want Daily.
Local residents who witnessed the process said that the farm, Tianxin Husbandry Pig Farm, would place the dead pigs into pits and use the chemical solution to dissolve the bodies into a liquid form which would then be released into the Xiang River through drains on the property.
The farm responded to the reports by saying that pigs which may have died from disease, are treated using the method and are disinfected before being released through the drain. The farm also said that their methods are in line with national standards and has been practiced for years.
The local environmental bureau in Hunan said that the standard procedures for the disposal of pigs should be incineration or burial, however. Li Yi, the chief of the bureau's enforcement team, said that the farm's method is not only illegal but also poses a serious risk to the safety of city's drinking water.
