Good News in the pig trade

Pan mixer

Member
Mixed Farmer
Location
Near Colchester
Okay, i've had two separate indirect approaches from niche London wholesalers. Not really my thing I think as they want rare breeds, might think about it if they pay plenty.
In all seriousness the niche way is the only way ahead for anyone who isn't part of the conglomerates. Rare breeds were difficult to sell at the door though as they tended to have a significantly large band of white around the red bits and ate loads.
 
Don't really understand the pig job doldrums . I ran out of bacon a couple of days back , and went out to buy , NOT from the supermarket . I got a pack of the only bacon they had , and opened it up to use it . It was probably the worst bacon that I've ever had , lay it one rasher flat and you could have read the paper through it . It was wet and with that white slimy salty muck exuding from it . , I cooked it , in the absence of anything better -- it was rubbish . and I looked at the pack , and it was DANISH ! Surely , in the name of all that's good , and in the state the British pig job is , they could have done better than that . I despair .
 
We don't have pigs now , but Grandson bought a pig in the market for a neighbour , who sent us a biggish piece of home cure back . Now that wasn't everybody's cup of tea to be sure , with a goodly layer of fat , but for me - lovely . And in a bacon hotpot -ideal !
 

Pan mixer

Member
Mixed Farmer
Location
Near Colchester
I forgot to book in pigs this week. Got a confirmation email for a full load - the first in many months - early on Fri eve. They're still not worth anything, but at least they want them.
Good news indeed, I too have noticed slightly less reluctance, but only slightly. A long way from panic buying by the processors but it may come to that soonish, I carry on paying the bills in the hope of that anyhow.
 

Pan mixer

Member
Mixed Farmer
Location
Near Colchester
Yeh, not quite the time to fulfil my dream of trimming their numbers unless they pay us more, but it's still a glimmer.
It is a job to trim numbers when the next lot is coming along for next week though.

All round my processor has been pretty fair, they have asked for a few more pigs odd times to keep the weights down, the private butchers that take most of my pigs haven't let the bottom drop out of the gilt sales which is good, boars are more of a problem, they have asked me to castrate which despite not being RT I am not about to do, I haven't done that for well over 30 years.
 

delilah

Member
Our good news on the pig front: Young lady started coming to the farm couple of years ago for her DofE volunteering, no farming background, realised she loved working with livestock so carried on coming. A few months ago a chap wanted a steer calf off us, against my better judgement we swapped it for a sow and piglets on the basis I would have nothing to do with them, Aoife was made pig manager and has had sole responsibility for them, last week she sold her first batch of pork boxes, the experience has got her a place at Plumpton for September. Feckin sow is back in pig so I guess we are now pig farmers :ROFLMAO: .

pigs 49.jpg
 

SFI - What % were you taking out of production?

  • 0 %

    Votes: 78 42.9%
  • Up to 25%

    Votes: 63 34.6%
  • 25-50%

    Votes: 30 16.5%
  • 50-75%

    Votes: 3 1.6%
  • 75-100%

    Votes: 3 1.6%
  • 100% I’ve had enough of farming!

    Votes: 5 2.7%

Red Tractor drops launch of green farming scheme amid anger from farmers

  • 1,286
  • 1
As reported in Independent


quote: “Red Tractor has confirmed it is dropping plans to launch its green farming assurance standard in April“

read the TFF thread here: https://thefarmingforum.co.uk/index.php?threads/gfc-was-to-go-ahead-now-not-going-ahead.405234/
Top