It's A Pigs' Life

Shropshire smallholder Sam Gray takes her sow and piglets to a festival

- Sam Gray

Relief! For the fifth year in a row, my family planning has worked. Not for me personally, of course, but my growing stock of sows. Exactly three-and-a half weeks before the recent Shrewsbury Food Festival, Betty gave birth to her first litter, an incredible 12 piglets born to an incredible new mum who took the whole thing in her stride. Even with four cottage guests watching over her in amazement, she went about giving birth like she’d done it a million times before. Little did she know that she’d be showing them all off at one of the county’s best festivals only a few weeks later.

The timing was perfect. DEFRA welfare regulations stipulate that it is illegal to transport piglets below the age of three weeks. These standards (although different for each type of animal) protect them from being transported too young as they are considered to be at risk and unfit to travel. After a gestation period of three months, three weeks and three days, I think the three week rule for piglets is very fitting and, thanks to Betty, this year they were all healthy and old enough to travel.

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