Pigs are not great fans of hot weather. Yet despite the heat, they appeared to be very content on the day that BPEX accompanied a group of foodservice industry professionals around a farm of outdoor reared pigs near Woodbridge, Suffolk recently.
The ‘Livestock Live’ event was the first in a series of farm visits designed to give caterers a greater insight into sustainable farming practices. BPEX sponsored the event in order to showcase the stringent welfare standards and sustainable farming practices employed by third generation farmers Mark and Paul Hayward.
BPEX foodservice trade manager, Tony Goodger, said: “An estimated 90% of pigs in England are produced on farms which belong to recognised assurance schemes, as are the feed companies supplying them. All are subject to regular, independent audits. This is an excellent example of a farm employing best practice standards of animal welfare.”
Tony added: “When it comes to red meat, it stands to reason that better carcase utilisation means less waste, which in turn means a lower environmental impact per unit of product. By sourcing quality assured, high welfare pork and featuring dishes made from cuts from the shoulder, collar and belly (in which the UK is self-sufficient) on the menu, caterers will be able to offer their customers a product which is not only sustainably sourced, but which also provides them with excellent profit potential.
“What’s more, it will have a positive knock-on effect on the entire pig meat supply chain. With pig farmers losing money due to rocketing feed costs and many facing the prospect of going out of business, it’s more important than ever to source pork that carries the Red Tractor logo or equivalent mark of assurance. In doing so, you will be supporting farmers such as Mark and Paul, while at the same time providing customers with the confidence that your pork dishes are from pigs produced to strict welfare standards.”
This story was originally published on a previous version of the Meat Management website and so there may be some missing images and formatting issues.
