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SALT LAKE CITY - Utah's pork producers want to change the name of the swine flu.
Lu Arnold, spokeswoman for the Utah Pork Producers Association, said, "I think they are working on a name change. It's probably going to be H1N1, or the North American influenza. We're hoping that happens because the swine flu is ruining our industry. They haven't traced it to any pigs, but it's giving a bad impression on the pork industry worldwide."
Pork sales have plummeted even though there's no evidence that eating pork, bacon or sausage can cause swine flu.
"The message we really want to get out there is that pork is safe, and you can eat your pork and it's not affected by this," Arnold said.
She says pork production is relatively small in Utah. The biggest big operation is Circle Four Farms in Milford, Utah. It's owned by Smithfield Foods Inc., whose stock prices have been taking a hit.
Arnold says Circle Four Farms exports about 24,000 pigs weekly. Most of them go to California.
E-mail: mrichards@ksl.com
