Case Study

Andrew Peddie has a pig farm in Fife. The following excerpt has been adapted from a Quality Meat Scotland resource titled “Meaty Matters” which was developed for children to learn about meat production and quality assurance.

Pigs are pregnant for over 3 months and produce anything from two to over twenty piglets at one time – each weighing 1 to 1.5kg at birth. When a sow farrows, the piglets stay with her for between 3 and 4 weeks. If a sow has a big litter, the farmer may take some of the piglets and foster them out to a sow who doesn’t have so many. Pigs are weaned at about 28 days old at which point they usually weigh approximately 7kgs.

Pigs aren’t tagged on the Peddie farm because they're kept on the same farm from birth to slaughter. However, if they are sold to another farm, they need to be ‘slapped’ to clearly identify from which farm they’ve come.

Pigs are fed a very high quality, expensive diet that’s suited to their weight and needs. Pigs are renowned for putting on weight quickly and it’s quite normal for them to put on 600 to 800 grammes each day.  As part of the QMS Assurance Scheme, animal feed is independently assured to avoid any unnecessary risk to the animal.

Andrew and Gwen keep their pigs outdoors in paddocks, and they sleep in arcs. Approximately 30% of the pigs in Scotland are kept outside in this manner. The rest are kept in special buildings which often have controlled temperature and ventilation.

Like Andrew and Gwen, the vast majority of pig farmers in Scotland are members of the QMS Assurance Scheme. The scheme sets out strict rules about looking after animals and assessors visit each farm every 12-18 months to make sure that farmers are adhering to the scheme standards. On some occasions, an officer from the Scottish Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (Scottish SPCA) goes with them to make sure the pigs are being looked after.

From the farm, an assured haulier transports the animals to the abattoir. Here, the animals are processed in a very efficient, humane manner with the meat sent to butchers and supermarkets.

Only pigs adhering to the standards of the Quality Meat Scotland Assurance Scheme are able to brand their products as ‘Specially Selected Pork’.