They’re calling her the “Pig Girl”. And this 1990s so-called lover of pigs is also now something of an internet celebrity, for her devotion to all things swine and an entrepreneurial spirit. Yet, for many, she leaves behind her an unsavoury taste.
Pig farmer, Hu Huiqin, from Shuyang County of Suqian City in Jiangsu, has garnered herself 146,000 fans on social media and raked in over ¥5 million, but some of the methods she employs may be too much for today’s international community.
First, credit where credit is due. For Hu’s story is both inspiring and motivational. And hers is also a life which today brings in ¥500-600,000 in annual revenue.
But growing up, Hu never got as far as high school. Instead, she worked first in an electronics factory, then set up a spicy hotpot stall, a restaurant and dabbled in e-commerce.
Over 3 or 4 years, she saved ¥100,000, while nurturing the idea of running a pig farm.
“When I was a child, I raised a pig at home. So I probably knew how to do it. I also like pigs. I am after all a pig, so I decided to raise them”, Hu told local media. “It may well have been fate.”
Borrowing more than ¥200,000, Hu invested a full ¥400,000 to build a farm, kit it out and of course buy some beasts. She was confident she could raise them.
By 2019, she had perhaps surpassed even her own expectations, earning those many millions. Fast forward to today, and Hu’s farm now covers an area of more than 1,200 square metres, home to 70 sows and more than 400 piglets.
With the media spotlight on her, Hu recalls everything she has done to raise her pigs; sleeping with them, performing CPR, mouth-to-mouth resuscitation, and even serving as a midwife.
Revealing that on account a person’s life raising pigs sometimes feels lonely, Hu decided to share her daily activities online as short videos. She not acquired all those fans, but also made friends with pig farmers all over the country to discuss problems associated with their trade. She is nothing if not devoted.
But then comes the troublesome aspect to this 28-year old’s pig-farming success.
As as the Yangtze Evening News reports regarding pig rearing, “The reality is often more cruel than the imagination”.
That’s in reference to the practice of tail docking, which Hu is seen to perform in a video published by that publication, seemingly without the piglets being administered any form of anaesthetic. After its tail is severed, the piglet is seen to convulse in excruciating pain.
The video, which many readers will find disturbing, can be seen in the Yangtze Evening News report via this link.
The practice of tail docking came about in reaction to industrialised pig rearing, whereby pigs live close together and are unable to engage in their natural practices of rooting and foraging. They become bored and often take to biting each others’ tails.
Hence, many farmers have adopted the habit of cutting the tails short using some form of clippers or pliers, or even by cauterisation. From their perspective, World Animal Protection says, “This mutilation is a very painful and stressful experience for the piglets and can have a lasting effect on their wellbeing”.
The practice of tail docking has become illegal in a number of countries.
While Hu’s story undoubtedly shall serve as an inspiration to many a budding entrepreneur, it is clear there remains much progress to made on many of the farms around China, and elsewhere, as regards animal welfare.
