Wild pigs eyed as source of deadly bacteria found in spinach

[PorkChopper]

Pigs and spinaches

 

[Backcountry]

Wild Pigs Eyed in Tainted Spinach Probe

Wild pigs may have spread deadly bacteria onto a California spinach field, sparking an outbreak that killed three people and sickened more than 200 others nationwide, investigators said Thursday. They also said the outbreak appears to be over.

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?.../w142408D02.DTL

Ah hell yeah! Somehow, this has gotta be good for hunters.

...and all along, my un-politically-correct self has been thinking the poisoning was because of the farmworkers taking dumps out in the fields where they pick and work.

 

[Kentuck]

Knowing this anti-hunter state they will probably hire a trapper to trap the pigs and take them to a rendering plant. God forbid any agency actually allowing hunters to assist in CA.

 

[oneshothunter]

it will be sad for hunters because the state will not let us hunt knowin that the pigs could kill us if we eat them this is just what the tree huggers want ......for us to stop hunter and let the state fix the problem .. Ihavea friends thats a trapper for the state and it a damm shame to hear over 100 pigs a day get turned into pulpe and talo huge ones right down to footballs size .. he traps them kills them and get rid of them and the shame of it is none of the meat goes to help are own damm hunger problem here in are state

 

[easymoney]

My money says, in this PC state they will never allow hunting of these pigs. They will try and trap them like they did here in my little town. And yes they do get made into tallow...

"...and all along, my un-politically-correct self has been thinking the poisoning was because of the farmworkers taking dumps out in the fields where they pick and work." I would not discount this as as possible source... They do it at home and will do here.

 

[jb229]

I heard about his from a friend then heard it again this morning on the radio. If the pigs did walk through each field wouldn't they eat or distroy the spinach fields. Kinda sounds like the farmers, (manufacturers) are looking for a scape goat.

Either way I'm sure they will just trap and eradicate them, or attempt to and of course out source it.

 

[Backcountry]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (jb229 @ Oct 27 2006, 07:25 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div>

I heard about his from a friend then heard it again this morning on the radio. If the pigs did walk through each field wouldn't they eat or distroy the spinach fields. Kinda sounds like the farmers, (manufacturers) are looking for a scape goat.

Either way I'm sure they will just trap and eradicate them, or attempt to and of course out source it.[/b]

I think I'm going to have to agree... the farmer would be a lot more worried about the pigs rooting up an acre of spinache every night than the pigs (or the farmworkers) making doodies in the fields.

 

[beastslayer]

It's the pig with two feet. We are the big carriers of ecoli bacteria. It's not difficult to guess that the farm workers will choose to do their thing in the small brush covered area rather than walk a long way under the heat of the sun to the portalets.

 

[Rancho Loco]

Humans ARE NOT carriers of E-coli. Cows are the main carrier, and only a few bacteria will sicken a human, hence the seriousness of the problem, made worse by modern food production practices.

Humans are carriers of Salmonella.


I'm not buying the pig theory. I shoot pigs all the time in the area discussed, and their hoofs are clean, not full of the cow chit from the pastures.
I still think it's contaminated irrigation, and processing issues.

 

[Kentuck]

I think this is bs now. If pigs would have gotten into the field there wouldn't have been any crop to harvest.

 

[Shot]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Rancho Loco @ Oct 27 2006, 06:10 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div>

Humans ARE NOT carriers of E-coli.[/b]

Rancho, your so wrong about that. Check out the link and read the first sentence of the second paragraph.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/E._coli

"The number of individual E. coli bacteria in the feces that a human excretes in one day averages between 100 billion and 10 trillion"

 

[Rancho Loco]

Let me clarify - It is my understanding that the strain of E-Coli that is causing these outbreaks are spread by cattle manure - the bacteria lives in the gut of cows and other animals with no ill-effect to them.

The E-coli outbreak in hamburger a few years ago from cattle manure contamination is the most infamous example.

http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dbmd/diseaseinfo...ichiacoli_g.htm

Mark my words - infected cattle manure, contaminated irrigation and/or processing will be nailed down on this one.

 

[spectr17]

USA Today ran a piece on this last week. Once the lettuce got to the processing plant it's never touched by human hands. At least that's what the pics and info showed. Everyone was in gloves or a machine was processing it also.

Now out in the field???????

 

[Rancho Loco]

Just because a machine was processing it, doesn't mean it can't be contaminated.

Modern processing can take a small contamination and spread it to huge amounts of food in a processing plant. The hamburger contamination is a good example.

As a rule, I don't touch the bagged pre-washed stuff, and I'm not alone.
Scary stuff.

 

[Danohfiveoh]

Well I would like to add my two cents to this. I work in public safety in a town very near by. I had responded to a plant in the area and we got to talking about the spinach problem. The Plant Mgr/Owner thought that it is a systemic problem...you can wash, dip, spray, and take ever precaution and still not get the E-coli out of the plant. This means that it is in the dirt (how it got there?), then it lives in the plant's system. This e-coli can not be cleaned or washed out!!!

 

[bayedsolid]

It's a conspiracy. Following the lackluster sales of late between both broccoli and cauliflower, and with the help of carrots and peas who have never had a good relationship with spinach, there was a devious plot devised to crap on this unsuspecting victim. And now we have proof. Lettuce seems to be laying low right now but winter is coming....and we all know what that means.