But while pigs mean profits for some, they cause headaches for others.
"Initially they thought they were guinea-pigs but they quickly realised that in fact they were pioneers, " said Mr Cleaver.
Laboratory tests have identified that some of the pigs had porcine circovirus, a common disease that affects pigs but does not affect humans.
The procine circovirus , which can be present in pigs but not affect humans, was detected in some tests of the dead animals, it said.
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The company apologized on its website and said it discontinued partnerships with producers using the additive, which speeds muscle growth in pigs but can cause headaches and an irregular heartbeat when consumed by humans.
The issue came into sharp relief in 2011, when China's food-safety inspectors discovered in pork products from a Shuanghui subsidiary the chemical clenbuterol, which speeds muscle growth in pigs but can cause headache, nausea and an irregular heartbeat when consumed by humans.
We have co-evolved with other species like cows and pigs, but our relationship with dogs and horses is special because they have served so long and so faithfully as friends and partners in many of our highest aspirations.
Ranchers and farmers have complained for years about the damage feral pigs can cause, but federal and state officials said the loss of crops, the spread of noxious weeds as the pigs carry seeds to new spots and the stress they put on endangered species and other wildlife is now worse due to a persistent drought that has hammered two-thirds of the country.
On Wall Street it is said that pigs get fat but hogs get slaughtered.
It replaces the traditional pseudo-Napoleonic styling with a cartoony but innoffensive world of battling pigs, cats, zombies and humans.
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You can see there that he had horses, obviously, to till the ground, but he also had cattle and pigs and chickens.
Scientists have cloned sheep, cows, goats, pigs and mice, but their success rate is as low as one live birth in 100 attempts.
But the monitoring of birds, pigs, people and the genetics of the influenza virus have all been stepped up in response to recent outbreaks of both swine flu and bird flu.
Sometimes, that's how progress works, but consumers might not appreciate being guinea pigs.
But he uses heirloom-breed Berkshire pigs, famed for their pure flavor and well-marbled flesh, for his obscenely rich pulled pork.
The girl did attend an agricultural fair four weeks before becoming sick, she said, but did not have any contact with pigs or other livestock.
And some surgeons think they have found a way to make that dream come true: by husbanding pigs not for their chops but for their hearts, livers, lungs and even their neurons.
Swine flu is caused by a virus similar to the type of flu virus that, in various forms, infects people every year, but is a strain typically found only in pigs -- or in people who have direct contact with pigs.
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But many connect online, creating Facebook pages for their pigs and swapping photos.
But many of them also harbour an erroneous belief that pigs, unlike primates, pose a small risk of passing infections to people.
Swine flu is caused by a virus similar to the regular flu virus that circulates in people every year, but is a strain that is typically found only in pigs or in people who have direct contact with pigs.
Confidence in your product is one thing, but thinking you can turn a game about birds crashing into pigs into something with a larger fanbase than Star Wars or Harry Potter, and you sound delusional.
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GARCIA-NAVARRO: Galapagos is named after these reptiles, but their populations have been hurt in the wild by rats, pigs and goats.
But several animals including tropical fish, parrots, cats, rabbits and guinea pigs died.
But just as they did, meat-packing companies started raising their own pigs.
It does not normally inflect humans, but cases have occurred among people, especially those who have had direct exposure to pigs.
The three-hour drive to Florence was our last long bus trip, and Li raced through some topics, including Catholics and divorce, Pavarotti, balsamic vinegar, truffles and the pigs that find them, and leather goods that are marked as Italian but made in China.
But the alternative is to implant livers, hearts, and skin taken from cows and pigs, or human cadavers into people.
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Feral pigs have already taken over Texas and are expanding their numbers in other states, but federal and state land managers think they have a chance to tip the balance in New Mexico.
But it suffered nothing like the blue-ear disease that took such a toll on the country's pigs in 2007-08.
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