Swine flu is having a minimal impact on local pork-related businesses today.

Triumph Foods is operating as normal, said Patt Lilly, chief administrative officer. The company slaughters more than 18,000 hogs each day at its pork plant on Stockyards Expressway in St. Joseph.

“As an industry we are very diligent to make sure our hogs are healthy,” Mr. Lilly said.

Mr. Lilly said inspectors with the U.S. Department of Agriculture already monitor the health and safety of the meat.

At the St. Joseph Stockyards, very few hogs were brought in by farmers to sell. Workers said heavy rains were probably to blame instead of disease fears.

Hog prices were lower as the marketed reacted to the news.

No pigs in the United States have been infected with the swine flu, USDA officials reported. Customs agents are checking people coming into the United States by land and air for the disease. The World Health Organization said there were 40 confirmed cases in the U.S., but no deaths.

A person cannot be infected with the new strain of the swine flu virus by eating pork or touching raw pork, according to USDA.

“The consumer should have nothing to fear from the food they put on their plate,” Mr. Lilly said.

Susan Mires can be reached at susanm@npgco.com.