The Accidental Smallholder Forum
Livestock => Pigs => Topic started by: Fowgill Farm on June 24, 2010, 09:39:49 am
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Some of you may have heard or read in the press about the GOS breed securing european protection.
News was announced on Friday 18th June 2010 by the new Secretary of State at Defra, Caroline Spelman, that in future the produce of GOS pigs was to be protected throughout Europe by EU law. Under the Protected Food Names scheme, the GOS breed has been given unique protection with TSG (Traditional Speciality Guaranteed) status. This is much more unusual than PDOs and PGIs which apply to such things as champagne, Parma ham and Melton Mowbray Pork Pies because, unlike those, there is no geographic limitation as to where in the EU the pigs can be kept and the pork produced. This is only the second British TSG, (the other is Traditional Farmfresh Turkeys), and the first breed of any species to gain TSG status anywhere in the world.
It means that, in the near future, the Gloucestershire Old Spots Pig Breeders' Club will be able to prevent anyone selling GOS produce that does not meet the agreed standards that the pigs must be pedigree, birth notified and fully identifiable and kept in strict non-intensive conditions throughout the pigs' life. It is expected that a farm approval and certification scheme will need to be set up in order to facilitate this and protect the integrity of the breed and its excellent meat.
There will be further information available in due course on the GOS website. If you have any questions regarding this please free to contact the club committee. Details on GOS website www.oldspots.org.uk
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So no more Waitrose style GOS pork then .....
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Ah, excellent, just what I needed. My two girls are not pedigree but have AI'd using Deer Park so the offspring will be half pedigree. Where does that leave me? Probably with a load of weaners that I won't be able to sell or bring on to meat weight which I then won't be able to sell.
Well done.
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Your unregistered pigs will be your own produced pork which, if you finish them well, will have excellent eating qualities. You surely don't expect to have the same rights and status as someone doing the job properly with pedigree stock, do you?
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Doing the job properly? Do you want to be a bit more patronising? No I don't expect the same 'rights and status' as those who breed from 'Pedigree', but then again, I didn't realise it was Crufts for Pigs.
I'll have to sell it as the 'pork formerly known as GOS'. They've just ensured that the breed is going to become even more rare as there are plenty of breeders out there who don't have Pedigreee Registered stock who now can't sell as GOS.
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As unregistered animals do not count towards a breed's population, your argument is flawed from the start. You might also like to know that it is already illegal to sell meat from unregistered stock by the breed name under agreement of LACORS, the authority who advise Trading Standards. I suggest for your own peace of mind that you promote your pork as 'home produced'.
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So it's a pointless exercise then, if it's already illegal to sell meat from unregistered stock by the breed name? It's only going to ensure that it is kept in non-intensive conditions. Like Hilarysmum says, no more Waitrose style pork, which is going to see a decline in numbers of the breed.
Thanks for the advice on the home produced pork.
Double thanks for putting it across, again, as patronisingly as possible.
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The Waitrose style pork relies on just 4 boars at an AI station which are also used for pedigree breeding so once again your scare stories of threats to the breed are baseless.
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I read that the Waitrose pork was from boars in Canada. That the sows were not even GOS. That the outdoor bit was only for the sows and v. small piglets.
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I think you're confusing 2 different issues. The Canadian boars were another problem - for the Berkshire breed. They were brought over here and crossed with commercial hybrid sows and promoted as Berkshire pork. The GOS situation was similar using commercial hybrid sows and crossing them with GOS from Deerpark AI station. In fairness, the resulting progeny do spend the rest of their lives outdoors but it certainly isn't GOS bacon and sausages they were selling. They initially marketed it simply as GOS and then changed the smallprint to read 'sired by a pedigree GOS boar'. They're currently on their 4th version of the packaging and the GOS Breeders are still objecting through Trading Standards that it doesn't meet the LACORS ruling on breed naming of produce which was adopted into the recent voluntary code on pork labelling which Waitrose signed up to very quickly after it was introduced earlier this year.
Here is a link to the LACORS ruling just so that everyone can understand what is and what is not allowed. http://www.oldspots.org.uk/labelling.asp
Incidentally, the TSG status awarded last week covers pedigree GOS pigs throughout the EU so should help those pedigree breeders in France.
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I think we've had a similar thread before about pedigree v purebred v outdoor etc etc. I'm glad the GOS breeders have got the status they wanted but like all labelling it only tells you a bit of the story - the breed, but nothing else about how the pigs are reared. It's such a minefield and I think there are bigger labelling issues than this.
As a meat purchaser, I'm more interested in how the meat is reared than the breed.
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The Waitrose style pork relies on just 4 boars at an AI station which are also used for pedigree breeding so once again your scare stories of threats to the breed are baseless.
What's your problem??? 'Scare stories'??? What scare stories - I had genuine concern for the breed that has a basis in personal circumstances. I aplogise for not being the all knowing when it comes to thing porcine, which you obvioulsy think you are.
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Rosemary
The new TSG status not only defines that the pigs must be regsitered pedigree GOS but also the farming methods. The GOS breeders have agreed a specification which now forms part of the EU law that in some ways is more onerous than some organic standards. It also defines that they must be slaughtered in small to medium-sized abattoirs. This is a deliberate policy to ensure that the mass market cannot start factory farming GOS pigs in order to gain the TSG status.
Here is the text of the EU law: http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=OJ:C:2009:238:0008:0013:EN:PDF
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Seems like a good thing to me although I can understand why people already committed to non pedigree, purebred stock are a bit miffed. Is there a conversion method?
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No, there is no conversion method. Of course anyone with unregistered GOS can still keep breeding and selling good quality pork, they just can't call it Gloucester Old Spot pork. You say that you can understand owners of such stock being a bit miffed but consider for a moment those keepers of pedigree GOS who, to date, have had to compete at Farmers Markets etc with others with lower costs and less hassle claiming to sell the same product. Where was thair incentive to keep birth notifying litters, paying their subs to the British Pig Assn, tattooing pigs' ears etc, etc.? There's always two sides to every coin.
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Mr P, apologies for being grumpy in my previous posts. Hopefully this will push the prices up for the Pedigree breeders and give those who are committed to Pedigree breeding their rightful reward - protecting the breed from mass market can only be a good thing. :)
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Thankyou for your generosity of spirit. The sole aim of doing all this is to protect breeds like the GOS from exploitation by the mass market and to help them to grow in numbers to safer levels.
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Hug? ;D
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[quote
Incidentally, the TSG status awarded last week covers pedigree GOS pigs throughout the EU so should help those pedigree breeders in France.
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Over here people dont give a tinkers what the breed, they buy because its organic or in our case outdoor reared. That goes for all the nationalities that buy from us.
I agree Rosemary, that its how they are reared and dispatched, not what the breed is. I have GOS because I like the breed.
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I can see both sides of the argument.....
However, once a "Pandora's box" of standards and inspections is applied will it be possible that certain breeders will start to find the whole process too onerous?
There will always in my view be a very good market for happy, healthy farm / home reared pork sitting alongside the (often more expensive) "Posh Pork".
If you have non-pedigree GOS pigs just brand the meat differently - eg. "Smiling Pig Pork" etc. etc.
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Thanks, s4s that was a nice post. Ours is called "free Range" with photos on the brochure to show they are truly free range rather than en plein air which can mean kept in a barn with 3 sides closed in but one open to the air.
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Just wondering, how will the buyer know that the meat is indeed pure bred GOS raised in the strict non intensive conditions rather than any other type of pork, or indeed GOS that is not birth notified.
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The GOSPBC is looking to put in place an inspection/approvals system using the TSG logo. If the point of sale material doesn't have this, it isn't approved and eventually by reporting mis-use to the authorities via Defra, would expect to close down all unauthorised use of the name. Basically the same principles that apply to the protection of champagne, roquefort cheese and parma ham at present.
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I also print out a certificate from the BPA website to confirm the pig is pedigree GOS and has been birth notified.
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Thanks, s4s that was a nice post. Ours is called "free Range" with photos on the brochure to show they are truly free range rather than en plein air which can mean kept in a barn with 3 sides closed in but one open to the air.
Thanks,
Just trying to defuse things a little :-)
We rear both pedigree and non-pedigree Saddlebacks.....They taste exactly the same believe it or not !
The only way to ensure no counterfit pork is sold it would have to be stamped at the abettor much the same way as is happening with the Welsh White at the moment, as that also suffered from the counterfeit trade!
Oh - Did I mention we also sell meat stamps? whith whatever logo or text you like on them, for product branding. ;-)
Thanks
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Ah, you have to excuse my rants - it's more built out of frustration at having to do a full time(to say the least!) day job when all I'm thinking about is 'being on the Farm.' Frustrating doesn't quite cover it! Grass was cut last night though, which I got strangely emotional over. My wife thinks I'm a big pansy. She has a point.
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Ah, you have to excuse my rants - it's more built out of frustration at having to do a full time(to say the least!) day job when all I'm thinking about is 'being on the Farm.' Frustrating doesn't quite cover it! Grass was cut last night though, which I got strangely emotional over. My wife thinks I'm a big pansy. She has a point.
Ah, you big softy! :) You're just in touch with your feminine side and that's a good thing.
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Ok forgive me for being totally think but can I call my pork "Outdoor Reared unregistered OSB Pork". To be honest it does not really matter to me as I will only ever have 2 or 3 at a time and will not be advertising or labelling my meat as it all goes to family and friends.
I had a read on the GOS site and it seems to me that they can still be reared in large numbers indoors. Also what is the definition of a small to medium sized abattoir. From what I have seen small does not necessarily mean better. I am not 100% happy with the one that I use but there is no other within 40 miles.
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If its only going to family and friends then call it what you like :-)
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Is this the same DEFRA who are allowing miniature pigs to be kept in flats? The ones who wont allow a smallholder to feed anything that comes out of the kitchen to their pigs (not disagreeing) yet dont check to make sure mini pet pigs are not being fed on cat food, helping themselves out of the rubbish bin or fridge?
If so I think this is going to be open to massive abuse.
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:wave:
I just thought you'd like to know that Mr.Pig is wrong. If you sell meat that is the progeny of registered Gloucestershire Old Spots pigs and you can prove it, then you MAY call it Gloucestershire Old Spots pork,sausages or bacon BUT if you want to use the new 'Traditional Speciality Guaranteed ' description or logo you will probably have to go through an inspection process. S0o that's all right then. ;D
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Can I still print out my pedigree meat certificates from BPA site ?
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Yes Hilarysmum
You will still be able to print out your meat certs proving your GOS pork is pedigree.
As Carol says only people who want to use the TSG logo and call their meat "Traditionally Farmed GOS Pork" will need to apply to the GOS club for inspection and approval. There is going to be a scale of charges depending on how many sows or finishers you keep and the approval will be valid for three years. Details will be available on the GOS website shortly.
HTH
Mandy
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Thanks thats great.
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would you be able to say free range gos
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Shetland Paul
You can use the term "Free range GOS" only if your GOS parents are pedigree and registered and their offspring is birth notified (hence the benefit of the meat cert as advocated by Hilary'smum), otherwise if they're not you could only call them "Free Range Pork".
The GOS club has fought hard to protect the GOS name as some of the alledged quality end supermarkets have been purporting to sell GOS bacon & ham when it only cross bred, their packaging says sired by GOS boars but the mothers are commercial white pigs so its nothing like the real GOS product and in this way they're duping their customers. You can find more info on the LACORS ruling relating to this on the GOS website.
HTH
Mandy