Selling pig meat.

[Farmer2003]

Hi, I have got 4 pigs that I am going to send to be killed and cut up and sausaged etc, I will he selling to freinds and family And a local farm shop,I have quite a few people after it so I should be able to shift it, am I best to freeze it or chill it and sell it as soon as I get it back, this is my first time doing pigs so would help any advice on what cuts to get and on the chilling and packaging.
Many thanks

Jack

 

[delilah]

Lots of useful stuff on the below link.
Only advice I can offer; only kill a pig when there's an r in the month.

https://thefarmingforum.co.uk/index.php?threads/selling-meat.160042/

 

[Farmer2003]

Lots of useful stuff on the below link.
Only advice I can offer; only kill a pig when there's an r in the month.

https://thefarmingforum.co.uk/index.php?threads/selling-meat.160042/

Thank you, I appreciate the help !

 

[Woolless]

Lots of useful stuff on the below link.
Only advice I can offer; only kill a pig when there's an r in the month.

https://thefarmingforum.co.uk/index.php?threads/selling-meat.160042/

Why do you say that?

 

[delilah]

Why do you say that?

Just an old saying, ie kill pigs when it's cold, largely redundant now with refrigeration etc. Though having sat around on hot days waiting for people to turn up to collect their meat box it still has some relevance for those doing direct sales.

 

[Woolless]

Just an old saying, ie kill pigs when it's cold, largely redundant now with refrigeration etc. Though having sat around on hot days waiting for people to turn up to collect their meat box it still has some relevance for those doing direct sales.

Ah, I thought it might be something to do with that.

 

[delilah]

Ah, I thought it might be something to do with that.

more relevant down here - it's always cold enough in Scotland .

 

[SteveHants]

Just an old saying, ie kill pigs when it's cold, largely redundant now with refrigeration etc. Though having sat around on hot days waiting for people to turn up to collect their meat box it still has some relevance for those doing direct sales.

You should have facilities to chill the meat if you are doing direct sales and should be probing/recording temperatures for your record keeping.

This can be as "basic" as fish polyboxes with ice packs in.

 

[Longlowdog]

I bought half a pig from a friend. It was delivered frozen and I was happy with that. Chucking half a pig into my small freezer would have meant it would take an age to freeze.
Frozen gives you more scope when your customer says they can't make the time you arranged a week ago.

 

[delilah]

You should have facilities to chill the meat if you are doing direct sales and should be probing/recording temperatures for your record keeping.

This can be as "basic" as fish polyboxes with ice packs in.

tbf we are lucky in that abattoir is 20 mins away, pick boxes up from there half hour before the customers have been told to be at our place and it works well, it's just the odd one who thinks 'at 1pm' means 'any time that suits you after 1pm'.

 

[brigadoon]

Get it advertised as soon as you know when it will be ready and try to sell as much as possible before they are killed

 

[Chasingmytail]

you cant sell frozen meat unless its blast frozen and labelled correctly with best before date. Its also very hard to sell individual frozen meat unless its packed on try and professionally vac packed. The labels need to be 'deep freeze proof' . Pork doesnt keep well and its very wet so if you sell it in the shop it needs to be good and not swimming in blood. The packaging needs to be A1 and if your storing it needs to be in a walk in fridge. Strictly speaking transported in chilled vehicle.

Advice- dont sell individual cuts to friends and family do packs - ie sausages, joint, chops and diced. Say min spend £40. You have to get either a cash deposit or they need to be totally understanding that when you have it back they have it that day. Believe me the times we had beef back and people would come up with all excuses - freezer full etc Same with farm shop you need it in writing. Say for instance they arent selling much stock that week they can turn around and say sorry we cant have it. You could go for whole shoulders for bbq slow but dont go down the route of mum only wants a 1kg lean leg of pork youll be pulling you hair out. You wont shift it.

You need to spend a few hours googling the half a pig and cuts there are plenty of online resources. Make sure you price it up correctly. Dont follow John down the road selling half a pig for £80. You need to do your maths and work out the profit margin. Our worked out so much we gave up selling it no one wanted to spend so much for pork.

Dont underestimate the amounts of pork you will get. Think ahead what will happen if you have 2 pigs left you need to freeze it quick and know how to pack a freezer well to stop it all sticking together.

Its a hard business to do ad-hoc dont underestimate the logistics and hassle for a few quid profit. Are you doing this all for £50ea profit as thats not enough for 4 pigs.

 

[Longlowdog]

I paid £170 for a half pig, outdoor raised, no med's ever, it had fed on apples from my orchard. It came as bacon, sausages, ribs and joints. I have no regrets about spending that money. The butcher used premium skins for the sausages and they are the best I've ever eaten, the bacon is superb and the joints look, cook and taste like no supermarket pork I've ever bought. Folk need to understand that outdoor raised pigs who have rooted around, lived natural lives exercising their muscles and yep...even having a scratch from their owners and visitors and being killed and processed locally without hanging around in a lorry and lairage for ages make a premium product.
I could probably have bought more meat at the supermarket for the money however it would have been simply a meal not an event that I look forward to all day when ever I take any piece of that pig from the freezer in the morning.
Now as is the way of T.F.F there will no doubt be someone along to say you can't feed apples, you need barcodes and reams of paperwork, temperature controlled underpants and a masters degree in bullshot to sell or buy, well guess what I don't care I'd do it again in a heartbeat. Support locals, eat locally produced fayre, know how it is produced and maybe even it's name. That's living the dream not not just being alive and I'll pay handsomely for that.