A few years ago a farming neighbour of mine enquired as to whether I had lost any legs lately. At first, I was some what perplex, but assured him that the last time I looked everything was still there. No. no, he replied, I mean have you lost any pigs legs. He explained, that he had recently changed his abattoirs because because after some consignment, the old meat works deducted payment for various parts of the carcass. It may be a leg, sometimes half of the rib section, the head and so on. I assured him, I had not experienced any problems of this nature, apart from difficulty in loading large bacon pigs on to the truck, that gave a whole new meaning to the expression of pigheadedness.
He related how on enquiry, he would be told that the missing parts had been condemned, and no, he was unable to inspect the missing parts as they had been deposed of. It was never explained, why a leg and part of the rib cage was not fit for human consumption, while the rest of the animal was fine. All the more so, when the pigs were in tip top condition when leaving the farm. Apparently, this became a major problem around Christmas time for the condition of hind legs, it seemed that often both legs would become contaminated at this time of the year. One can only assume that their loading ramps needed urgent attention. All this goes to show how dangerous transporting livestock can be. Who knows what they are likely to eat on their journey into town.
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