When the Mayans predicted the end of the world in 2012, were they attempting to tell us it would be the end of the succulent bacon-flavoured world we’ve become accustomed to?
Earlier this week, hidden amongst reports of tainted Alberta beef and Iranian ranting at the United Nations, was a heartbreaking report that rained sorrow unknowingly down upon the masses. Pork enthusiasts everywhere were saddened to hear of an impending global shortage of bacon, the most sumptuous and delectable of carnivorous treats, will soon be upon us.
For many people, bacon is a way of life. With the onset of skinny jeans and designer glasses, hipsters everywhere have made bacon a social media phenomenon. These days, one can find bacon anything; bandages, candy canes, squeezable spread, flavoured vodka, chocolate, bracelets, the list goes on and on. Savvy restaurants and pubs have picked up on this trend and offer all sorts of witty menu items to capitalize on bacon’s newfound ‘cool’ factor. If you are one of those food service locations without a unique bacon special, then shame on you, get with it.
Although in the meantime, everyone expecting a delicious bacon treat in the near future may want to start
experimenting with a new Meat of the Week. The stories are true my friends. The Canadian Press reported that the British National Pig Association said that an international bacon shortage has become “unavoidable” and that prices will soon be on the rise. It seems pig populations the world over have been dwindling due mainly to crippling droughts that have been felt around the world this year.
As drought decimated corn and soy crops, prices soared for these two feed staples. The cost of feeding pig herds became too much for farmers, and so they have been forced to shrink the size of herds. As herds are culled it is estimated that bacon prices could more than double by the second half of 2013. The Canadian Pork Council states that it is unlikely that Canadian stores will run out of bacon, but that limited supply will affect prices, which we will see, rise within four to six months.
While the impending bacon shortage has already begun bankrupting farms unable to weather the financial storm, the victims of this debacle are wide-ranging. The Huffington Post recently reported spokespeople for the Major League Eating (MLE) Competition (www.ifoce.com) have announced an indefinite suspension of all bacon eating contests due to an expected pork shortage in 2013. Top athletes can easily consume 20 pounds of bacon in 10 minutes and MLE president Richard Shea said, “we cannot, in good conscience allow [top competitors] to eat bacon during a global pork shortage.”
Not everyone is worried that the bacon cataclysm will have such a dire impact. Saskatchewan Agriculture Minister Lyle Stewart has stated that he does not believe Saskatchewan will see a bacon shortage. Although he was unable to present any evidence to substantiate his claim, he went so far to acknowledge the impending bankruptcy of Big Sky, which accounts for 40% of Saskatchewan’s pork production.
What is Revelstoke City Council doing to proactively approach this issue that will surely have far reaching implications for local restaurants, grocery stores and of course the general citizenry? Perhaps now is the time to ditch the backyard-chickens-in-Revelstoke debate, and start focusing on what is important, namely backyard pigs.
