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Wessex Saddlebacks Piglets

Saturday, March 20, 2010 at 12:51PM
Tags: best meat, boar pig, delicious recipes, farming practices, farming systems, lean meat, livestock farming, nutritional value, piglets, pigs, quality animals
Filed in: Pipers Farm, Recipes

Our Wessex Saddlebacks crossed Welsh pigs are traditional native breeds which grow more slowly than modern hybrids - these are designed to grow fast and produce a maximum amount of lean meat. Our bacon pigs will grow to about 34 weeks old. By contrast a modern hybrid will reach the same weight at about 22 weeks.

All pigs were castrated before modern hybrids were developed. Â This is because most small mixed family farms would have had pigs in the cider orchards, grazing grass and windfalls in the summer, and utilising scraps in the winter. These farmers knew that a sexually mature boar pig was a very unpleasant eating experience, because of the taint caused by the testosterone.

Our farming practices relate closely to traditional systems used on small family farms. Â Our firm belief is that this is where common sense prevailed, because the families were closely in touch with nature and their animals. And it was very common for them to actually eat some of their own meat so that they understood very well what made meat wholesome and a really enjoyable.

We believe that the best meat comes from animals which have grown slowly, in as stress-free environment as possible, and allowed to reach natural maturity. This is very important in delivering texture and flavour.

By contrast modern livestock farming systems have lost sight of eating quality. Animals are grown as fast as possible, with minimal consideration for welfare, or nutritional value.

Uncastrated modern hybrid pigs, grown in very cramped conditions in plastic buildings and fed a diet designed to make them grow incredibly fast is, in our opinion, a nightmare illustration of modern livestock farming.