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Miller’s plan to poison pigs hits the skids

Tamir Kalifa
/
Texas Tribune

Texas Ag Commissioner Sid Richards had high hopes for his plan to bring on what he called the “feral hog apocalypse.”

But now, as The Austin American-Statesman reports, Miller’s scheme to poison huge populations of wild pigs is on hold. The company that produces the poisoned bait meant to destroy the animals has withdrawn its support for the project. In response, Miller is blaming what he calls “politically correct urban media hacks” that he believes gave the project a bad name in the public eye.

Critics sounded the alarm when Miller announced the plan earlier this year. Groups opposed to the idea included hunters, environmentalists and meat processing plants. They worried that the poison wouldn’t just harm the hogs, but would end up hurting other animals—including humans, who sometimes eat feral hog meat.

Wild pigs are responsible for tens of millions of dollars’ worth of damage every year in Texas.