GIVING up the day job is fast becoming a reality for Lilstock couple Sam Crawford and Jackie Bone as their fledgling meat business has just scooped its first national award.
The pair moved to West Somerset around 18 months ago and started a small herd of pedigree Oxford sandy and black pigs, selling their pork products directly to customers through their online shop.
As word of mouth has spread, so has the demand for their produce – West Country Quality Meat – and Sam is about to give up his job to focus full-time on the pedigree porkers.
And their efforts have not gone unnoticed with the influential national organisation Compassion in World Farming honouring them with a Good Pig Award in recognition of their commitment to pig welfare.
Jackie said they were thrilled to receive the award and were determined to raise happy pigs at Glebe Farm.
She added: “Up to three weeks ago we were both working full-time but we really underestimated the demand!
“It got to the stage we had no pork left for ourselves and we had to go and buy some.
“We sell all our produce online and have just started to increase the number of animals as the demand has been so great.
“Our pigs are free to roam outdoors all the time as we want to give them the best quality of life possible.”
The couple have a closed herd policy, which means they breed all their replacement stock from their existing pedigree registered breeding stock.
Sam said: “When we decided to raise outdoor, free-range, native rare breed pigs, our main concern was to make sure we did this ethically and with the pig’s welfare as our number one priority.
“We feel that in today’s world of mass produced, intensively farmed meat, this is something that is forgotten by a lot of producers.”
He said happy pigs made for tasty, top quality meat and said visitors were always welcome to tour the farm to see the animals for themselves.
“We are able to provide customers with the full provenance of any of the meat that goes into our range of products.
“We are so proud of our pigs and the quality of life that they have, that we always extend a warm welcome to visitors, be that exiting customers or potential new ones, to come and see our pigs, and get hands on with them in their paddocks if they so wish.
“All we ask that this is arranged in advance.”
The couple said winning the Good Pig Award meant everything as it showed their hard work had not gone unnoticed.
Tracey Jones, director of food business at Compassion in World Farming, said: “It is so great to see West Country Quality Meat making the welfare of their sows and meat pigs a top priority.
“Higher welfare produce isn’t just the responsibility of the large corporations, but something that can be achieved at all levels.”
The award specifically recognises organisations that make it their policy to produce and source higher welfare meat.
Photo: Paul Scullion