Science and Agribusiness in the History of Pig Factory Farming in Ontario

Abstract

The article explores some of the connections between science and agribusiness in the history of pig factory farming in Ontario, Canada, between the 1950s and the present. The factory farm model of pig production submits animals to a very artificial way of life, which would not be possible without the inputs of scientific and technological innovations of the 20th century. Topics discussed include the use of antibiotics, swine nutrition, feed conversion (in)efficiency, and pork promotion and consumption. The primary sources utilized are a trade magazine, a census of agriculture, and other government and industry publications. The article sheds light on how notions such as “progress”, “improvement”, “modern” or “efficiency”, frequently used by scientists when referring to results of pig production, are restricted to narrow or internal considerations of the industry that, in turn, can be challenged by broader analysis of aspects (social, economic, environmental) of the food system. Scientists have not just produced scientific knowledge but in some cases have also promoted ideologies about animals and the food system. These ideologies of “progress”, “improvement”, “modern” or “efficiency”, as in the context of pig production in Ontario, only make sense if we understand the particular historical moment in the analysis, which since the 1950s has markedly been one of strong agribusiness interventionism.