there are to many parallels with the micro pigs as others have pointed out
no lard market
slow growing =cost more to slaughter weight
cant realy see the point o yes i can
I don't think these will be marketed in the same way as Micro's and Rispain is not a novice caught up on a whim
Mangalitza's are also considered a 'lard' pig - folk still keep them, everybody's got a favourite
Slow growing doesn't neccessarily mean more cost - Kunes being a prime example of that
I know this is going to cause ructions, but I don't see a problem here
I'm hugely passionate about preserving our rare breeds, before anyone thinks I'm fickle - remember Palacerigg
IMHO a new breed coming into the UK (especially in the low numbers spoken about here) isn't going to have a detrimental effect on existing herds. I'm fairly sure there is Meishan in the commercial herd in the UK somewhere (in dilute form) but having pedigree animals, away from their country of origin provides back-up genetics which could prove very useful if there was any need for re-importation (in the case of a major disease outbreak, for example)
Look at the numbers of pigs already here, which weren't here originally or, which have left and come back (thinking Hampshires especially
) surely import & export of
pedigree pigs (not talking huge numbers of commercail porkers shipped from the EU) is a good thing for the breed & breeders ? And it's not always a money driven thing
As I've said before (and I'm sure almost everyone will agree) if I wanted to be cash-rich I wouldn't be keeping pigs
Karen