B. Raising the typical pig from piglet to ham in the industrial farming system

This chapter is devoted to the process of producing the pork that enters New York City, from breeding to retail.
We first focus on the different stages of the life of a pig raised merely for slaughter in the food industry. It will detail the life of a pig beginning with the birth of a piglet in farrowing rooms, after which they are transferred to a nursery and ultimately sent to Confined Animal Feeding Operations. There will be considerable data on the conditions endured by pigs in CAFOs, those who own and run pig CAFOs and the need for regulation of these factory farms. Pigs are fed a mixture that is primarily corn, but also includes other grains, soybean products, fats and oils, and animal by-products. Along with the feed and water, pigs are also given a variety of antibiotics, which serve as therapeutics, prophylactics, and growth promoters. These pigs, who are probably in the Midwest (near Iowa) or North Carolina, are then shipped to slaughterhouses.
We detail the killing and the preservation of the pigs inside industrial plants, and the carcasses are sent to a pork processing plant. There, the options are divided into meat cutting and further processing. Processing distinguishes fresh meat products from those that have been physically altered and or combined with additives. There are a variety of products from both categories that are designed to fit every appetite. These products are then shipped by truck to either the processor’s own distribution plants or a third-party distributer who bought the goods. Then, the distribution plants send it off to New York with more trucks, which can be owned, leased, or contracted. There, it is put on the shelves of our supermarkets and grocery stores.