PIGS
Pigs are the ‘agitators’ in our regenerative system of farming. Without them, the land and its ecosystems could become more and more homogenous but, because our pigs are free-range, their rootling and the way they disturb the ground provides opportunities for different insects and plants to gain a foothold.
This has so many advantages, and not just for the pigs. The diversity of the entire ecosystem benefits. Red ants might move in to build their hills on mounds of earth the pigs have created, for example, and grasses, herbs and wildflowers germinate in places where they’ve uprooted patches of gorse or bracken – we’re always amazed by the number of foxgloves that spring up in the year after our pigs have been in an area of scrub.
As natural foragers and omnivores, the pigs have the most varied diet of any animal on the farm. From the moment they wean at three months, they’re out and about, chomping through everything from our species-rich pasture and windfall fruit and nuts to fields of potatoes and cover crops grown especially for them. This is supplemented by an organic mix of barley, oats and peas, most of which (and we hope, one day soon, all of which) is grown right here on the farm.
We move them on to new areas regularly, both because they're exceptionally intelligent animals which enjoy change, and also to allow the land to recover. Being free-range, the pigs naturally get a lot of exercise and this, coupled with their forage-rich diet and the fact that we grow them slowly, gives their meat great texture, a good ratio of fat to muscle and, most importantly of all, a really good depth of flavour.
This has so many advantages, and not just for the pigs. The diversity of the entire ecosystem benefits. Red ants might move in to build their hills on mounds of earth the pigs have created, for example, and grasses, herbs and wildflowers germinate in places where they’ve uprooted patches of gorse or bracken – we’re always amazed by the number of foxgloves that spring up in the year after our pigs have been in an area of scrub.
As natural foragers and omnivores, the pigs have the most varied diet of any animal on the farm. From the moment they wean at three months, they’re out and about, chomping through everything from our species-rich pasture and windfall fruit and nuts to fields of potatoes and cover crops grown especially for them. This is supplemented by an organic mix of barley, oats and peas, most of which (and we hope, one day soon, all of which) is grown right here on the farm.
We move them on to new areas regularly, both because they're exceptionally intelligent animals which enjoy change, and also to allow the land to recover. Being free-range, the pigs naturally get a lot of exercise and this, coupled with their forage-rich diet and the fact that we grow them slowly, gives their meat great texture, a good ratio of fat to muscle and, most importantly of all, a really good depth of flavour.