The Accidental Smallholder Forum
Livestock => Pigs => Topic started by: Fowgill Farm on November 05, 2012, 12:44:24 pm
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Sorry to raise this one again but just had an e-mail from North Yorks smallholders somebody selling micro piglets ready 20th Dec ::) >:( (she also has KK's for sale in the same ad) These poor pigs are bound to end up in somebody's xmas stocking and it starts all over again, a responsible owner would put them as being for sale after Xmas at least >:(
Can't decide whether to contact the breeder and point this out or i just might end up in a slanging match. :sofa: what do you think?
Mandy :pig:
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Mandy,
I am sorry to say that the breeder is almost certainly already fully aware and is bargining on them being sold for xmas gifts. You will end up in the slanging match. :(
Sally
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mandy were all banging our heads againt a brick wall here until these breeders / sellers are held legally to sales description these pigs will keep being mis sold.
mind i could be tempted to ring :innocent:
btw every week our local market are seeing more pet pigs going through as people get fed up with them cant say what the auctioner calls that part of the sale :innocent: for fear of upsetting some people :eyelashes:
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::) Just seen this on ebay... You can even buy toy teacup piggies now, Talk about encourage the kids.
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cant say what the auctioner calls that part of the sale :innocent: for fear of upsetting some people :eyelashes:
Oh, go on - whisper it :innocent:
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Our local magazine had an advert for some in the Ag section. I sent a message to the editor, but it's still there this week....
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Hi - would anyone like two pigs? They are about 5/6 months old, one male one female. I think they are cross micro pig and mini pot belly pigs. They are free to a good home and must be collected. We are in Gloucestershire.
Did you read the above comments?? ??? ::)
I rest my case for the defence your honour :rant: :rant: :rant:
mandy :pig:
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1................2.......................3....................4.................. :innocent:
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In any event your honour one should be in reciept of the full facts before passing judgement. I have now removed the post as it is not my intention to offend anyone. Have a good evening...
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did anyone see the advert promoting Courtneys petting farm and advertising micro pigs for sale, genuine micros of course :innocent: She had photoshopped pictures of them coming out of xmas crackers, presents etc. I felt sick. >:( :rant: :'(
Mandy i wouldn't bother, you will have no affect, the sort of people who do this couldn't care less about the pigs they just see dollar signs. On a similar note, i was told by a friend of a micro pig that was sold to somebody, they were told it was 12 weeks old, two weeks later it died, the vet said it was no more than four weeks old, which means it was taken away at one week. There is only one word to describe these people who do this and that is SCUM!
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Money springs to mind it like the lambs being sold at easter as pets, or puppies for christmas.
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It is just a fad though and it will pass and these wretched people will end up stopping as there's no money in it. No doubt though, they will end up finding some other poor creature to sell :(
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Somebody somewhere will always be looking for an easy quid. They're the same people who'll sell you a car with a dodgy MOT, or some pullets that turn out to be cockerels, or an alpaca ;D . When the latest scam runs out of steam they'll move on to the next one.
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Mrs snoodles, its a long fad, its being going on for two years and in the meantime, thousands of pigs have suffered
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Mrs snoodles, its a long fad, its being going on for two years and in the meantime, thousands of pigs have suffered
its a pity Watchdog or Countryfile won't take up the plight of these poor pigs, its just animal exploitation. :rant: How can a magazine like smallholder take adverts like these do they not have nay ethics
Mandy :pig:
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How did this all start out? Did someone just breed from runts to get the pig size down or are they some sort of import? Pls excuse my ignorance, I remember seeing something on TV a while back, but was so disgusted that people kept them in houses and treated them like dogs that I just turned off.
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It really started with Jane croft a couple of years ago, although small pigs have been a problem with the sanctuaries in the US for many years, its a spin off from pot bellies I think. Originally it was runt to runt, but then people like rob rose who is the biggest problem after Jane croft, started putting large traditional breeds to kune kunes and pot bellies to get the colours and of course you couldn't guarantee the size. Jane croft was buying up litters everywhere regardless of what they were or their history, so the spread of micro turned large pig spread. JC is very good at marketing herself, so the micro trade took off. It pandered to the plebs who wanted the next new fashionable thing.
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I've just read this months copy of Smallholder magazine and was about to post about the advertisement regarding what is described as micro/mini pigs .... they are even willing to keep the piggies for a while if you are wishing to purchase them for that very special christmas present :o . Can see reading this thread that someone has beaten me to it. My daughter would like a micro-pig .... have explained that from my little knowledge I believe that there is no such thing. She sees cute photos of them in her animal/pet based comics and after seeing the advert in a proper grown up smallholding magazine she is now sure that I must have it wrong. I know nothing about pigs at all and have no intention of keeping a pig of any size or shape but have to admit that it must be very confusing to lots of adults let alone children when they see such an advert in a supposedly serious smallholding publication.
I don't have the knowledge base to ring that magazine and discuss their printing of such an advert but there maybe people on here that would wish to do so. I think it is worth you serious pig keepers taking a look. It is a full page colour advert. Piglets are shown beside crackers and xmas parcels and I think there would be complaints if pups etc. were advertised as possible xmas presents ..... let alone other issues as to whether micro-pigs actually exist and so on.
Sorry, not a pig keeper so maybe should keep out of it but couldn't believe my eyes when my daughter gleefully held it out :o [size=78%] [/size]
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You will have to excuse my ignorance but if it is true that micro-pigs don't exist then surely this advertisement breaks some sort of law??? ??? Or anyone could advertise anything?
Or is there dispute as to whether they actually exist?
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Or is there dispute as to whether they actually exist?
For what its worth, my view is that it is 'just' a generic term that has been adopted to mean a 'small pig' ... it is most certainly not in the context of KK, OSB, SB, GOS etc ....
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I agree P6te, it is a generic term for small pig and also a marketing term to imply these pigs stay small and can be a house pet.
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Thanks for the replies. Not having any knowledge of the micro issue I won't pursue that angle but think I will contact them anyway because I strongly disagree with the way the advert. portrays the pigs/ any animal as a xmas present. Thought that was very out-dated/frowned upon now. ::) :o
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I agree P6te, it is a generic term for small pig and also a marketing term to imply these pigs stay small and can be a house pet.
Exactly!
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So basically it is a false product. It is amazing that Trading Standards haven't been involved. What a load of carp. As for smallholder advertising such rubbish ....does them no credit at all. absolute tosh.
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Mrs snoodles, it is too longwinded to go into it again, but trading standards across the country have been involved, the police have been involved, animal health have been involved, so as defra, rspca, sspca, where have you been these last two years ;) :) not with courtneys i hasten to add but with micro pigs in general. There has been prosecutions for breeders, threatening letters to people who try and stop it and many thousands of pigs that have suffered. Pet pigs taken back by the breeders then taken to the abattoir, the stories go on and on.
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Been in Mrs Snoodles world in sleepy Suffolk! Now that you mention it, I do vaguely remember someone being taken to court in Suffolk with micro pigs that had OSB markings :thinking:
....I remember seeing it in the paper. To be honest, I get so wound up by this sort of stuff I tend to let it blow over me otherwise I get me knickers in a right old twist. :o
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:wave: mrs s from sleepy Norfolk/Suffolk border
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:wave: hello :)
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It really started with Jane croft a couple of years ago, although small pigs have been a problem with the sanctuaries in the US for many years, its a spin off from pot bellies I think. Originally it was runt to runt, but then people like rob rose who is the biggest problem after Jane croft, started putting large traditional breeds to kune kunes and pot bellies to get the colours and of course you couldn't guarantee the size. Jane croft was buying up litters everywhere regardless of what they were or their history, so the spread of micro turned large pig spread. JC is very good at marketing herself, so the micro trade took off. It pandered to the plebs who wanted the next new fashionable thing.
the fad had been going on for a little longer than a couple of years now jane croft had her first advertising challenge taken to court in 2010, i remember seeing some of her first pigs on show after she paid for a stand to advertise them even back then they were being challenged about ages and sizes etc but the woman was a salesman through and through. until publishers etc stop selling advertising space etc these poor animals will be bred and sold.
another 9 pet pigs went through market yesterday ........brought by the meat man :innocent:
another gripe i have is the adverts with micro pigs selling entire males :roflanim: who would want a entire boar of any size as a pet :thinking:
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Theres a load of micros at Skipton auction this sat suspect they will come from the source i originally posted about as thats their local mart. Theres a post in members about the sale & a link to the catalogue.
Mandy :pig:
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:rant: just come across an advert on preloved for 'deluxe' m/cro piglets :rant: picture of a piglet wearing clothes sitting in/on a pumpkin :rant:.
After further enquiries it appears that the parents are 'performing pigs', which are licenced and certificated and regularly taken to a local theatre to do shows :-(
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Hi Folks, I'm back :wave:
Blasted laptop (see other thread ::) )
I JUST CAN'T BELIEVE THE SMALLHOLDER MAGAZINE - ARRGH!!!!!
1...2...3...
No, it's not working :furious:
:rant: I'll be getting in touch with them tomorrow :rant:
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Bewycheed, did anything come of contacting smallholder, did you contact them?
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:wave: I contacted them, by e-mail, and received an e-mail back saying that my complaint had been passed on to their advertising department. I have heard nothing since and that was a week ago.
If puppies were advertised in that way, I think lots of people would be :rant: .
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There were some so called 'micro pigs' at Skipton, didn't see which lots they were sellling but some went for £2.00 ea and some didn't sell at a £1. perhaps we are abit too sensible for such things round here. if it had been earlier in the year I might have had a go and grown them for the freezer, but hopefully it will show someone it's not worth breeding them.
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same answer as i got :(
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I have received an E-mail from Liz Wright of Smallholder magazine regarding my complaint about the inappropriate advert for micro/mini pigs she says that she has spoken to her manager who assures her that he wants to see any creative for such an advert in the future and that he shares my views.
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I don't have the knowledge base to ring that magazine and discuss their printing of such an advert but there maybe people on here that would wish to do so. I think it is worth you serious pig keepers taking a look. It is a full page colour advert. Piglets are shown beside crackers and xmas parcels and I think there would be complaints if pups etc. were advertised as possible xmas presents ..... let alone other issues as to whether micro-pigs actually exist and so on.
Sorry, not a pig keeper so maybe should keep out of it but couldn't believe my eyes when my daughter gleefully held it out :o
Well i put a message on Smallholder facebook page expressing my concern at this ad and it was promptly removed by Smallholder. I then asked why it had been removed with no answer offered and my comment was again removed. I think the very fact that they allow adverts for live animals as Christmas presents is abhorent, never mind the fact that they are (nonexistent) micro pigs >:(
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Hi Wendy Scu - I shared your FB this morning and minutes later found it all removed too. Glad I checked into TAS tonight as I couldn't understand what had happened. Here in France there are rehoming ads as micros have grown too large ...
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just looked at my post on here and realised i didn't do the 'quote' thingy properly :-[
anyway, the first two paragraphs of my post were quoted from the original poster! sorry
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just looked at my post on here and realised i didn't do the 'quote' thingy properly :-[
anyway, the first two paragraphs of my post were quoted from the original poster! sorry
Sorted for you Wendy.
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thank you :)
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Well done, Wendy for pointing out this ridiculously irresponsible advert.
I just hope that any people reading this who aren't as au fait with magazines on the bookshelves don't confuse the aforementioned Smallholder magazine with Country Smallholding, which has never published any advertisements like this one.
It's easy to confuse the two titles. People often say to me, "Oh, you write for Smallholder magazine". Well I don't - I write for CS. I wouldn't want to be associated with a publication that accepted this kind of ad.
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Well done, Wendy for pointing out this ridiculously irresponsible advert.
It's easy to confuse the two titles. People often say to me, "Oh, you write for Smallholder magazine". Well I don't - I write for CS. I wouldn't want to be associated with a publication that accepted this kind of ad.
I think Tudful, you will find that I was the first one that brought it to the attention and not only on here as I feel as many of you do on here, its not a good thing to have in a magazine of standing. I write for Smallholder and as a journalist who has been commissioned to write for many magazines including Pratical Pigs, i know that in many cases the editor does not see the adverts until the magazine has come off the press and put in her hands. There is often no communciation between the advertising department and the editor. Liz I understand, did not see this advert until it was brought to her attention and has now taken steps to prevent it happening again. I am very happy to be associated with Smallholder as we all know or should know if you are in this industry that the advertising department is a law unto themselves. They have no morals when it comes to money in and that is any magazine. I suspect that had courtneys petting farm decided to put an advert in CS, their ad department would have taken it wthout a second thought. A journalist would soon be out of work if he stopped writing for all the magazines he disagreed with or inserted something that was not to the liking of the general public opinion.
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Country Smallholding has refused similar ads in the past, Linda/rispainfarm. Fortunately, they have a good line of communication between their editorial and advertising departments.
The point of my post was to clarify the name of the magazine which was under attack - because, as I said, the similar names are often confused.