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| As happy as pigs in muck | As happy as pigs in muck |
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| Tom (right) was previously a PhD psychology student in CambridgeLast week, the Magazine looked at vegetarians who decide to eat meat again because of ethical farming. In our Reader's Column, former veggie Tom Welch tells why he now farms and eats his "happy" pigs. | Tom (right) was previously a PhD psychology student in CambridgeLast week, the Magazine looked at vegetarians who decide to eat meat again because of ethical farming. In our Reader's Column, former veggie Tom Welch tells why he now farms and eats his "happy" pigs. |
| I didn't start farming in order to abandon vegetarianism after the best part of 18 years, but now the occasional pork sausage or chop from my own pigs is a happy by-product of a farming adventure begun nine months ago. | I didn't start farming in order to abandon vegetarianism after the best part of 18 years, but now the occasional pork sausage or chop from my own pigs is a happy by-product of a farming adventure begun nine months ago. |
| Pigs have helped to make our farm viable in the short-term, but why eat them myself? | Pigs have helped to make our farm viable in the short-term, but why eat them myself? |
| My reasons for becoming vegetarian were two-fold. Firstly, a hatred of intensive farming practices such as the use of gestation crates - two by 0.5 metre metal cages - used to house individual sows. These were banned in the UK in 1999 but are still widely used in the United States. | My reasons for becoming vegetarian were two-fold. Firstly, a hatred of intensive farming practices such as the use of gestation crates - two by 0.5 metre metal cages - used to house individual sows. These were banned in the UK in 1999 but are still widely used in the United States. |
| Secondly, a strong dislike of the way we no longer connect the roasting joint or pre-packaged, supermarket meats with the animal it came from. | Secondly, a strong dislike of the way we no longer connect the roasting joint or pre-packaged, supermarket meats with the animal it came from. |
| I wanted no part in what I saw as unethical animal rearing or consumption. | I wanted no part in what I saw as unethical animal rearing or consumption. |
| When my fellow farmer, Ian Steele, and I first began to consider pig-rearing, we received much advice along the lines of "keep them lying down" and "the only way you'll make money from pigs is to get 300 of the buggers in the shed". | When my fellow farmer, Ian Steele, and I first began to consider pig-rearing, we received much advice along the lines of "keep them lying down" and "the only way you'll make money from pigs is to get 300 of the buggers in the shed". |
| Free-range pigs | Free-range pigs |
| I knew that beginning to farm in north Shropshire would present me with a dilemma - would I be happy to eat the pork meat that I would be selling to others for their consumption? | I knew that beginning to farm in north Shropshire would present me with a dilemma - would I be happy to eat the pork meat that I would be selling to others for their consumption? |
| Ethical meat lures lapsed veggies I decided, according to the principles held throughout my vegetarianism, that I could do so, without sleepless nights or fooling myself. | |
| As part of a project in small-scale, sustainable, but ultimately viable, farming, Treflach Farm now has 30 free-range pigs with ample room to roam. | As part of a project in small-scale, sustainable, but ultimately viable, farming, Treflach Farm now has 30 free-range pigs with ample room to roam. |
| They show their happiness in several ways. Their tails are tightly curled, whereas unhappy pigs have limp, straight ones. They bound up to us as we approach, imploring us to give them a good scratch. They chase each other, and Nelly the sheep-dog. Instead of distressed squeals, they give contented barks and snuffles. | They show their happiness in several ways. Their tails are tightly curled, whereas unhappy pigs have limp, straight ones. They bound up to us as we approach, imploring us to give them a good scratch. They chase each other, and Nelly the sheep-dog. Instead of distressed squeals, they give contented barks and snuffles. |
| To unfamiliar visitors they show a healthy mistrust and deep curiosity. Our pigs are neither too timid nor too aggressive. In short, they display a full range of normal pig behaviours. | To unfamiliar visitors they show a healthy mistrust and deep curiosity. Our pigs are neither too timid nor too aggressive. In short, they display a full range of normal pig behaviours. |
| Open plan living | Open plan living |
| In the spring, summer and early autumn they were orchard-reared and given a covered feeding area and a straw bale sty, of our own design, providing both ventilation and insulation. | In the spring, summer and early autumn they were orchard-reared and given a covered feeding area and a straw bale sty, of our own design, providing both ventilation and insulation. |
| Pigs in muck at Treflach FarmWhen the ground became too boggy, we moved the pigs into a former cattle shed, where a large area of outdoor hard standing and a less boggy paddock are never closed to them. | Pigs in muck at Treflach FarmWhen the ground became too boggy, we moved the pigs into a former cattle shed, where a large area of outdoor hard standing and a less boggy paddock are never closed to them. |
| So proud are we of the conditions in which we rear our pigs that our market stalls are strewn with photos of our "pigs in muck", and we encourage all those who buy our meat to visit the farm to see how they are reared. | So proud are we of the conditions in which we rear our pigs that our market stalls are strewn with photos of our "pigs in muck", and we encourage all those who buy our meat to visit the farm to see how they are reared. |
| These visits, along with the educational facility we are currently planning, are our way of reinstating the link between the animal and the meat that is consumed - a link that reminds us that farm animals are living creatures, not industrial commodities, and should be treated as such. | These visits, along with the educational facility we are currently planning, are our way of reinstating the link between the animal and the meat that is consumed - a link that reminds us that farm animals are living creatures, not industrial commodities, and should be treated as such. |
| I eat only my own pigs because I am certain that they are happy and well looked after until the last. I still don't believe that meat should be a major part of my diet, but nor do I believe that to use an animal for food is wrong in itself. | I eat only my own pigs because I am certain that they are happy and well looked after until the last. I still don't believe that meat should be a major part of my diet, but nor do I believe that to use an animal for food is wrong in itself. |
| We strive to keep our pigs in circumstances that allow them to live a happy life. | We strive to keep our pigs in circumstances that allow them to live a happy life. |
Add your comments on this story, using the form below. | Add your comments on this story, using the form below. |