After dozens of closures, mysterious fires, and suspicious explosions at food processing plants, ranches, and farms across the United States, it appears we finally have an instance where someone was arrested and charged for one case that involves our food supply.
Reports from Sac County, a small, rural county in western Iowa, about an hour east of Sioux City, noted an unusual number of dead hogs.
On Thursday, authorities found more than 1,000 hogs lying dead in two confinement sites, according to KCCI-TV in Des Moines.
Justice Might Finally Be Served: Arrest Made After 1,000-Hog Death Wave Rocks Small Iowa County via @WestJournalism https://t.co/pIsYBNF0WX Someone needs to MAKE her tell them who told her to kill those hogs.
— It's TIME! ULTRA MAGA (@SchreierT) July 5, 2022
From KCCI-TV:
An Iowa woman is facing charges after over 1,000 pigs were found dead on her property.
On Thursday, the Sac County Sheriff’s Office responded to the 2400 mile of Otter Avenue after the animals were reported dead at two confinement sites.
Officials say 33-year-old Elana Laber was employed to maintain two confinement sites. Laber initially told officials that someone had shut off the breaker that controls the electricity the night before, causing their deaths.
An inspection found that the pigs had been dead for at least a week. They were in different stages of decomposition and had no access to feed or water.
Laber reportedly told law enforcement later that she knew the pigs were dead for a week but did not know what to do.
The estimated loss is more than $150,000.
Laber has been charged with two counts of first-degree criminal mischief and two counts of livestock neglect.
The Western Journal noted:
The dead hogs in Iowa are only the latest conflagration to befall livestock in recent months.
At the end of May, about 60,000 chickens were killed in a fire at a ranch in Arkansas.
Then there was the shocking story of 10,000 fat cattle that died in Kansas last month, with authorities claiming a massive heat wave was to blame.
And the incidents extend beyond livestock. An entire truckload of peanut butter went up in smoke in a truck fire in Illinois.
June also witnessed seven major farm fires across the United States, causing more disruptions to U.S. food production.
Destructive fires swept over farms in Ohio, Rhode Island, New York, Minnesota and more.
Global events such as the Russian invasion of Ukraine — a major food provider — and the resulting sanctions against Russia — a major exporter of fertilizers — also have brought serious pressure, putting the food chain in peril all across the world, as even President Joe Biden has recognized.
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