Eideard

Bacon fans felt a blood pressure spike earlier this week after a British group said a rise in the cost of pig feed would cause an “unavoidable” drop in pork product production next year.

But the U.S. Department of Agriculture said there was plenty of frozen pork on hand, and experts say a 5 percent drop of hog production in the European Union likely wouldn’t ripple across the Atlantic.

“There may be some shortages of pork in Europe, but there will be no shortages in the U.S.,” economist Erin Borror of the U.S. Meat Export Federation told the Des Moines Register.

Most notably, European pig farmers will grapple with new EU regulations banning the use of pig crates — the tiny stalls where pregnant sows are housed — which begin in 2013.

The stalls have already been phased out in several U.S. states…

The high cost of pig feed could fatten your grocery bill, though.

On average, a pound of bacon was 25 cents more expensive in August than in July, but still 10 cents cheaper than a year ago…

The cost of pig feed has risen mostly as a result of droughts throughout the Midwest this year…

Pork producers spreading alarmist rumors to jack up prices? Shock and amazement!