China's billion dollar pig plan met with loathing by Argentinians

Chinese investment in Argentina's hog industry would boost exports, but environmentalists fear risk of pandemic

A government-sponsored plan to turbocharge Argentina's hog industry with Chinese capital is generating unprecedented resistance among its supposed beneficiaries - the Argentinian general public.

Nearly 400,000 people have signed petitions opposing the move. We never had such a huge response before," said environmental lawyer Enrique Viale, one of the group who banded together last month to challenge the government's initiative. His petition currently has 200,000 signatures; another on change.org has almost 120,000 additional signatures, and three separate petitions on the same platform have clocked up another 55,000 between them.