Trinidad & Tobago: 133 piglets stolen
A raid on one of Trinidad & Tobago’s largest swine farms raised fears that there could be a shortage of pork products by Christmas.
The raiders ran off with 133 piglets from the 32-acre Erin Farms at Erin which has approximately 100 employees and is home for 14,000 pigs.
The stolen piglets are all Large White, and were being grown to produce fresh pork for Christmas, Rupert Leong Poi, owner of the farm, told.
Sensors
The branded animals were stolen just as the company started to set up sensors and an alarm system at the fenced farm.
Leong Poi, who is president of the Pork Producers Association of Trinidad and Tobago, said the owners of pig farms should improve the security on their farms as part of the plan to stop the thefts which were becoming rampant.
Supermarkets
Erin Farm produces about 35% of the fresh pork that is sold in supermarkets. In addition, the company produces a wide range of sausages and hams for the local and also for markets abroad.
The stolen piglets each weigh 5 to 7 kg and were said to have been valued at more than $50,000.
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