Britain | Making a pig’s ear of it

The British government belatedly tries to prevent a porcine tragedy

It faces a number of barriers, including the problem of “boar taint”

Two big piggies went to market

A PIG ARRIVES at an abattoir panicking. It enters a chamber full of carbon dioxide, which knocks it out. Then comes the disassembly line. Slaughtermen hang the hog upside down, slit its throat and remove the guts. Boners split it up with mechanical saws. Deboners slice muscle from bone. Trimmers ready the meat for packing. The work is hard, bloody and miserable. It can also take three years to master.

This article appeared in the Britain section of the print edition under the headline “Making a pig’s ear of it”

Instant economics: The real-time revolution

From the October 23rd 2021 edition

Discover stories from this section and more in the list of contents

Explore the edition

More from Britain

Stock price information displayed on a board at the London Stock Exchange.

Britain’s brokers are diversifying and becoming less British

London’s depleted stockmarket is forcing them to change

Sculpture by Charles Jencks of DNA double helix Cambridge University.

What a buzzy startup reveals about Britain’s biotech sector

Lots of clever scientists, not enough business nous


Illustration of Kier Starmer facing away next to the stripes of the Union Jack and the stars of the EU flag

Britain’s government lacks a clear Europe policy

It should be more ambitious over getting closer to the EU


The Rachel Reeves theory of growth

The chancellor says it’s her number-one priority. We ask her what that means for Britain