Wilfred Emmanuel Jones, aka The Black Farmer, has launched what’s claimed to be the first range of pork products raised without antibiotics.
The Black Farmer brand covers a range of gluten-free products ranging from sausages to cheese, and is based on the border of Devon and Cornwall.
The company has worked with partner farms to establish farming and production methods in response to a rising resistance to antibiotics. The selection of fresh British pork cuts from RSPCA assured pork can be identified by a blue Antibiotic Free swing tag.
The farming method means that the sows are free to roam outside and are fed on only vegetarian feed. The system reportedly guarantees that piglets are born outdoors and reared without the use of antibiotics from birth.
The announcement came with the statement that ‘such a high level of welfare means that there is a consistent supply of healthy, natural pig meat from happy pigs’.
Wilfred Emmanuel-Jones, The Black Farmer, commented: “Unbeknown to the consumer, pork rearing involves the blanket use of antibiotics. The farming industry will tell us that it is in the best interest of the animals, and I for one don’t want to see animals suffer unnecessarily. If they need antibiotics, they should be given them.
“Overuse and unnecessary use of antibiotics is leading to disease resistant strains. I believe that there is a growing number of consumers who prefer not to be consuming meat that has been inoculated, just as there are consumers who prefer their meat to be reared to organic standards or within RSPCA Approved guidelines.”
He concluded: “The consumer has been fantastic at pushing our industry into improving farming practices, making this country’s animal welfare standards some of the best in the world. Raised without antibiotics is another step in that direction.”
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.
