Pig Tales: An Omnivore's Quest for Sustainable Meat

Barry Estabrook, author of the New York Times bestseller Tomatoland and a writer of “great skill and compassion” (Eric Schlosser), now explores the dark side of the American pork industry. Drawing on his personal experiences raising pigs as well as his sharp investigative instincts, Estabrook covers the range of the human-porcine experience. He embarks on nocturnal feral pig hunts in Texas. He visits farmers who raise animals in vast confinement barns for Smithfield and Tyson, two of the country’s biggest pork producers. And he describes the threat of infectious disease and the possible contamination of our food supply. Through these stories shines Estabrook’s abiding love for these remarkable creatures. Pigs are social, self-aware, and playful, not to mention smart enough to master the typical house dog commands of “sit, stay, come” twice as fast as your average pooch. With the cognitive abilities of at least three-year-olds, they can even learn to operate a modified computer. Unfortunately for the pigs, they’re also delicious to eat.


Estabrook shows how these creatures are all too often subjected to lives of suffering in confinement and squalor, sustained on a drug-laced diet just long enough to reach slaughter weight, then killed on mechanized disassembly lines. But it doesn’t have to be this way. Pig Tales presents a lively portrait of those farmers who are taking an alternative approach, like one Danish producer that has a far more eco-friendly and humane system of pork production, and new, small family farms with free-range heritage pigs raised on antibiotic-free diets. It is possible to raise pigs responsibly and respectfully in a way that is good for producers, consumers, and some of the top chefs in America.


Provocative, witty, and deeply informed, Pig Tales is bound to spark conversation at dinner tables across America.

Finding high-quality digital editions shouldn't be a challenge. With instant access to our curated library, you can start your journey with Aftermath immediately. Whether on your phone, tablet, or e-reader, the story of Raleigh's life is presented in a format designed for modern readers.

To get started finding Pig Tales: An Omnivore's Quest for Sustainable Meat, you are right to find our website which has a comprehensive collection of titles listed. Our library is one of the most comprehensive resources for free digital reading materials, providing verified and safe content for book lovers worldwide.