Hum Posted September 25, 2011 Share Posted September 25, 2011 (CNN) -- These little piggies went to market, but the people who raised them aren't getting the dividends. Over the past few weeks, porkers have been pilfered at farms in Minnesota and Iowa, authorities said -- and the rustlers know a little bit about the business. "It isn't your common thief who could do something like this," said Investigator Marc Chadderdon of the Nicollet County Sheriff's Office in south-central Minnesota. "These are not randomly picked facilities." Thieves recently made off with 150 hogs worth $30,000 at a Lafayette, Minnesota, facility owned by Ryan Bode's family. This time last year, Bode said, hogs were going for between $120 and $130. Their market price has risen to about $200, a real incentive to bring home the bacon. The hogs weigh between 250 and 275 pounds and are market-ready. Thieves strike isolated areas, and vehicles used to haul the hogs may be shielded by tall corn still in the fields. "You probably won't notice anybody going up into the site," Bode said. Operations these days are largely automated -- the feeding, heating and cooling -- reducing the amount of people needed on site. And in these days of large operations, hog barns contain thousands of animals, making it difficult to keep track of the numbers. "We don't tattoo or earmark these pigs because it is labor-intensive and we have never had a reason to," Bode said. In order for pigs to be accepted at a slaughterhouse or packing plant, the seller must have paperwork, Bode said. "Somebody has to have an in somewhere." In the meantime, he is advising pork producers to increase security through more motion-sensing detectors, alarms, cameras and other technology. more Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tiagosilva29 Posted September 25, 2011 Share Posted September 25, 2011 Free bacon. (Y) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hum Posted September 27, 2011 Author Share Posted September 27, 2011 I do wonder if the hogs were sold, or did they keep them to fatten them up more ... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LittleNeutrino Veteran Posted September 27, 2011 Veteran Share Posted September 27, 2011 You would think they would be traceable for sale, around these parts you have to tag the hogs and then they cannot be butchered without a tag. so that the tags are traceable. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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