The Accidental Smallholder Forum
Livestock => Pigs => Topic started by: oor wullie on September 22, 2014, 04:55:22 pm
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The week after next I have our first 3 pigs going off to Munros of Dingwall to meet their end.
The lady I spoke to on the phone said it would be no problem to get the offal back which I assumed meant any bits I wanted however I have now heard from a neighbour that they wouldn't give back the head or trotters (I don't have any need for the head but I do want the trotters).
Am I going to have problems when I ask them for a bucket of blood as well? (as I have just bought everything I need to make black puddings I really do want the blood).
Has anyone any experience of getting blood and trotters back from Munros? Is it a problem at most abbatoirs?
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i havent been to your abattoir but with mine (before they stopped doing pigs) i had to be really firm and insist on heads and trotters or theyd be gone, lost somewhere between the butchers and the abattoir as everyone denied having them. ::) i do like to have the heads back, partly as they still have your tags in and partly because the dogs love them.
i had to return for the livers the next day, though they werent actually from my actual pigs.
i never waited for blood, but i think you have to be waiting whilst they are killed for that as you need it fresh.
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You will definitely need to let them know you want blood, and will have to wait. Basically it is a pain for the abattoir as they have to keep track of which is yours , and you'll need to be prepared to wait quite a while.
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I haven't asked for blood back but Munros will give you the head and trotters as standard, you do want the heads- take out the cheeks and cure them.
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always get the head and trotters back from munro's unless sometimes I ask for the head off. Getting the blood back is a pain though, so we don't bother.
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Tell them you want the blood and take a fermenting bin with a close fitting lid and a stick for stirring You'll have to stir) and unless for reasons of disease all of that pig belongs to you. I get everything back.
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Devonlady, do you need any special license for getting the blood back? I don't want mine, or the head and trotters but I was just wondering if it was like getting sheep skin back where you need proper authorisation.
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no
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I had a nice chat with a lady on the phone at Munros last week. She told me offal would be no problem, I just had to ask the guy to keep it when I dropped off the pigs. She said that blood might not be so straight forward but they would try.
Yesterday I took the pigs in and asked for offal and blood. I was told to come back 3 hours later for the offal. The guy doing it said blood might be a problem as they kill them on the floor so it is hard to catch it.
After spending the morning kicking my heels in DIngwall we went back to the abattoir and were told that they didn't manage to get any blood and that we could not have any offal as they are not allowed to release it unless it has been sent away to be tested for tricinella (sp), to do this requires organising it in advance.
I was pretty annoyed that
1) a whole load of offal will be thrown away meaning that Spencer, Abe and Franz were not fully utilised.
2) despite asking on the phone in advance and on the day, we were not told we couldn't get all of our pigs back so so wasted a morning hanging about waiting.
3) I was really looking forward to making black pudding, haggis and pate - what am I now going to do with 3kg of suet in the cupboard?
Next year I am tempted to do them myself.
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What did they say when you said you'd mentioned it several times in advance about wanting offal?
Must admit I've never got blood back, but one we used is n Swadlincote in derby gave us everything without even asking.
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Kill them you're self and hang them get local to butcher . There is crofters doing this by you it wouldent be hard to do look at the tv in benafric showd you haw to doit .
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nothing is thrown away, they will sell it.
very frustrating.
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That's Munros for you, hence the Caithness and Sutherland community abattoir project. Find them on facebook and help support some much needed competition in the sector here in the Highlands.