Egyptian Bacon Butties On Special Offer This Week

Egypt has announced plans to cull the entire national pig herd of around 250-350,000 head in the wake of the swine flu outbreak. At first casual glance that sounds bearish for soy doesn't it?

Well, there's a bit more to it than meets the eye.

The country's pig population largely belongs to the Christian minority living in slum areas around Cairo. Suffice to say that they don't get a lot of high protein soymeal in their diet.

The swine flu outbreak in Mexico has been seized upon by the government as a convenient excuse to rid the country of what the Muslim majority regard as unclean pests.

Christian farmers blocked streets and stoned vehicles of Health Ministry workers who came to carry out the government's order.

The state-owned Al-Ahram daily said that a farmer at an undisclosed location had been caught with 300 pigs as he tried to smuggle them to freedom on Wednesday. Armed police have been stationed huffing and puffing outside some of Cairo's pig sties to prevent such incidents.