Because of COVID-19, many pork processing facilities are reducing operations. This leaves pig farmers and consumers in need of alternative market options, so that farmers are not dealing with an excess and consumers are still able to get their products.
One of the alternative options is for the farmer to directly sell a live pig to a consumer.
Normally, the consumer would have an appointment with a local meat processor to butcher the pig. Because of the current situation, "many small scale meat processors are booked out for months. With no space available at a local processor and a pig that is ready for butchering, many people are choosing to butcher the pig themselves," Sarah Schieck Boelke, University of Minnesota Extension swine educator, said in a news release.
Since there are not many Extension resources on butchering a pig for home use, Schieck Boelke and colleagues Ryan Cox, Dallas Dornink and Lee Johnston produced a video on how to butcher a pig for home use. It includes information on human safety, pig welfare, and food safety discussions.
The video is posted on the University of Minnesota Extension Swine blog , along with additional resources and information on swine.
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If there are further questions, contact Sarah Schieck Boelke at schi0466@umn.edu.
