keeping pigs and Gordon Ramsey

[Andy Hamilton]

I keep being told about Gordon Ramsey keeping pigs in his back yard for food. I did not see the F word or any other thing with him in. Did anyone else? Or more to the point how much room do you actually need to keep a pig?

I know that during the Industrial revolution many families would keep a pig in their backyard is this a viable option? - probally not in mine as it is rented and we are not allowed pets, mind you says nothing on the contract about livestock.

[baldowrie]

His garden I would not describe as 'back yard'..bigger than the average garden

[Chickpea]

People used to keep a pig in the backyard and feed it household scraps, then slaughter and butcher it themselves. Now you are not allowed to feed pigs household scraps, you're not allowed to slaughter them yourself, and (I might be wrong on this one) I don't think you're allowed to keep a single pig anymore. I read that it is considered cruelty, and you must keep at least 2 so they don't get lonely. Perhaps they didn't used to get lonely because next door also had a pig in the backyard. But that last might might be bs anyway.

[bwaymark]

I think you can feed your pig scraps if you eat it yourself, but if you sell the meat you have to go through all the milled food malarky.... anyone know for sure? (I may be wrong....)

[Stonehead]

I think you can feed your pig scraps if you eat it yourself, but if you sell the meat you have to go through all the milled food malarky.... anyone know for sure? (I may be wrong....)

From DEFRA:

It is illegal to feed catering waste or animal by-product to any farmed animal or any other ruminant animal, pig or poultry. The term “catering wasteâ€Â

[Stonehead]

you're not allowed to slaughter them yourself,

Poultry, rabbits, pigs, sheep and goats can be slaughtered outwith slaughterhouses by their owner for personal consumption, provided that Article 3 of the "EU COUNCIL DIRECTIVE 93/119/EC of 22 December 1993 on the protection of animals at the time of slaughter or killing" is complied with.

Article 3 states that "Animals shall be spared any avoidable excitement, pain or suffering during movement, lairaging, restraint, stunning, slaughter or killing".

When slaughtering outwith a slaughterhouse, pigs, sheep and goats must be stunned in advance and slaughter must be done by a person with the knowledge and skill to do their job humanely and efficiently.

But, it's even more complicated than that!

If you slaughter sheep, you must remove prescribed material, dye it and dispose of it according to the relevant regulations. As that requires inspection, it effectively means sheep have to be slaughtered in a slaughter house.

Domestic consumption means the owner of the animal only - not members of their family, people visiting them, etc. That's why we get our pigs and sheep slaughtered in a licenced slaughterhouse (and butchered by a licenced butcher, but that's another story).

And if you're a licenced slaughterman, you may only slaughter animals in a licenced slaughterhouse - so you can't kill your own animals for your on consumption if you're a slaughterman.

As for prescribed material, that's also a minefield and open to interpretation by officials. For instance, there are currently no prescribed materials for pigs, so you should be able to get everything back including the blood, all the offal and so on. However, some inspectors say no to everything (including the liver), some allow liver and kidneys, some allow liver, kidneys and heart, and some allow everything. But, if you ask for your pig to be kept whole at the abbatoir and not beheaded and split, then you will get the head, including brains, back and both kidneys (not possibly not the other internal organs or blood).

With sheep, you'd think it it would brain tissue and backbone, but again we've sometimes been denied the liver, heart, lights (lungs) and kidneys because of an inspector's interpretation of the law.

I don't think you're allowed to keep a single pig anymore. I read that it is considered cruelty, and you must keep at least 2 so they don't get lonely. Perhaps they didn't used to get lonely because next door also had a pig in the backyard. But that last might might be bs anyway.

It's not a legal requirement to keep two pigs, but it probably should be a moral requirement. Pigs are very social animals and do much better with another pig for company, especially if their owner is away for much of the day.

I suspect what you're referring to is what Defra calls "environmental enrichment". This means you have to provide pigs with the opportunity to root, investigate, chew and play.

If you want more infro, read the full pig code.

[Shirley]

It's not helped when you read such information as the Smallholder guide "Feeding Your Poultry & Livestock" - now I got my copy from them in 2004 but it does state that you can feed household scraps to chickens, ducks and geese... no idea about pigs because that isn't included.

I'm going to email them and ask whether they have updated that information - and if not, recommend that they should.

Thanks for the clear info Stoney!

[Stonehead]

One thing I forgot to mention - all religious slaughter (eg Kosher, Halal) must now be done in a licenced slaughthouse, regardless of the the kind of animal.

[Chickpea]

I listened Stoney - you can't feed human food scraps to livestock. I knew that!

[Wormella]

I can only find the
video of the slaughter day.

there's some clips at the start of where they were kept.

[bwaymark]

[quote]It is illegal to feed catering waste or animal by-product to any farmed animal or any other ruminant animal, pig or poultry. The term “catering wasteâ€Â

[Shirley]

Can I still compost at home?
Yes, provided you do not keep pigs or ruminants on the premises. If you are only composting your own kitchen scraps on your own compost heap, you are not affected by the rules. If you keep poultry, you may compost your kitchen scraps at home, but you must do so in an enclosed container.

What if I keep pigs or ruminants, can I still compost?
No. Contaminated catering waste is thought to have been the cause both of the foot-and-mouth disease outbreak in 2001, and the Classical swine fever outbreak in 2000. It is very important that livestock susceptible to diseases that can be transmitted through infected meat are kept away from catering waste. If you keep ruminants or pigs, even as pets, you must not compost on the premises. This includes composting your own kitchen scraps. Your kitchen waste can of course still be composted on an approved site elsewhere.

I’m not a farmer, I just have a pet pig. Can I compost?
No. Pet animals are just as susceptible to diseases as farmed animals, and must not be allowed access to catering waste. If you keep a pet pig or any pet ruminant you must not compost on the premises. This does not of course prevent you from sending your kitchen waste for composting on an approved site elsewhere. If you keep poultry and you wish to compost at home, you must do so in an enclosed container.

It gets worse.... so we are not allowed to compost now???

[Muddypause]

Contaminated catering waste is thought to have been the cause [..] of the foot-and-mouth disease outbreak in 2001

Really? How did it get in the catering waste, then?

I though it was down to some twerp bringing livestock into the country 'unofficially'.

[Shirley]

No idea... sorry.. I should have said - I was quoting from the Defra website.... http://www.defra.gov.uk/animalh/by-prod ... nda.htm#14

[bwaymark]

It gets worse.... so we are not allowed to compost now???

Ha ha ha... that is kinda funny really.... I wonder if that classic figure of the farmer with the softgun yelling 'get orf me land' came from people trying to make sure DEFRA officials don't see exactly how many of their ridiculous rules are being ignored....