An outbreak of African swine fever in 1981 was a further devastating
blow to the peasant economy. Pork accounted for 50 per cent of Haiti's meat
consumption at the time, and the pig was an important part of the household
economy in a number of other ways. Some families, for instance depended
on the sale of pig to finance the school term for their children. Following the
outbreak of the disease, the country's entire pig population was killed under
a US supervised program, with consequent losses to farmers for whom pigs
represented a substantial investment. Compensation, available in principle,
was not always forthcoming or adequate. The US Department of Agriculture
declared Haiti free of the disease in September 1984, and repopulation with
pigs imported from the US is under way. The main beneficiaries are likely
to be the US livestock exporters.