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Author Topic: There must be a lot of farmers coming out of pigs.  (Read 13860 times)

Bodger

  • Joined Jul 2009
There must be a lot of farmers coming out of pigs.
« on: April 11, 2013, 02:26:09 pm »
I don't live in a piggy area. By that I mean that not many farmers keep them around here .That, has a lot to do with how far away the nearest slaughter house that will deal with pigs is.
At the beginning of this week I left a hand writen notice in my local agricultural supplies depot on the off chance that someone might have a second hand pig ark to sell. Well I kid you not, the phone has hardly stopped ringing. Over the last few days I've had at least six phone calls from ex pig farmers who were only too keen to sell me their redundant pig arks. I quite literally have a choice of dozens to choose from and as I say, i don't live in a piggy area.

Bionic

  • Joined Dec 2010
  • Talley, Carmarthenshire
Re: There must be a lot of farmers coming out of pigs.
« Reply #1 on: April 11, 2013, 02:32:58 pm »
Its a real shame but I guess its good news for you
Life is like a bowl of cherries, mostly yummy but some dodgy bits

Daisys Mum

  • Joined May 2009
  • Scottish Borders
Re: There must be a lot of farmers coming out of pigs.
« Reply #2 on: April 11, 2013, 02:43:54 pm »
Lucky you we couldn't find any here so are having to build one.
Anne

Bodger

  • Joined Jul 2009
Re: There must be a lot of farmers coming out of pigs.
« Reply #3 on: April 11, 2013, 02:57:43 pm »
I'm going to look at a £50 special this evening and I've already agreed to buy an absolute belter for £180. The second one is a humungus size and at that price, I reckon that it  will do for my flock of laying ducks to go into safely each night.

VSS

  • Joined Jan 2009
  • Pen Llyn
    • Viable Self Sufficiency.co.uk
Re: There must be a lot of farmers coming out of pigs.
« Reply #4 on: April 11, 2013, 03:53:36 pm »
Difficult to make pigs pay with the price of feed and the distance you have to go for killing round here. Our breeding stock are coming to the end of their useful lives and probably won't be replaced.

Will go back to buying in weaners for home consumption. At least that is another person I can add to the list of potential weaner suppliers.

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Bodger

  • Joined Jul 2009
Re: There must be a lot of farmers coming out of pigs.
« Reply #5 on: April 11, 2013, 04:14:30 pm »
 :wave:
We both saw how cheaply weaners went at last Octobers Brycir rare breed sale. A fiver for coloured weaners. :o
« Last Edit: April 11, 2013, 04:16:17 pm by Over the Gate »

FiB

  • Joined Sep 2011
  • Bala, North Wales
    • Facebook
Re: There must be a lot of farmers coming out of pigs.
« Reply #6 on: April 11, 2013, 06:10:36 pm »
Are you North Wales over the gate?  Lu have a surpless!??  We made a straw bale sty last time which was fab, but ready for something that will last us now? Cheers, Fi

Rhys Jones

  • Joined Feb 2013
  • Rhydyclafdy, Pwllheli
Re: There must be a lot of farmers coming out of pigs.
« Reply #7 on: April 11, 2013, 10:52:43 pm »
The pigs might have been cheap, however the chickens made decent prices in that sale. :innocent:

suziequeue

  • Joined Feb 2010
  • Llanidloes; Powys
Re: There must be a lot of farmers coming out of pigs.
« Reply #8 on: April 12, 2013, 07:08:29 am »
It was on Farming Today on R4 this morning. Pigs down from 60K in Wales to 20K in the last 10 years or so. The bottom has fallen out of the market for cheap, mass produced pork products from this country due to cheaper imports but this may represent an opportunity for the smallholder.

My concern would be lack of rare breeding stock and weaners for bringing on. I like to do a few pigs every alternate year but wouldn't want to get into breeding them
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Azzdodd

  • Joined Apr 2012
Re: There must be a lot of farmers coming out of pigs.
« Reply #9 on: April 12, 2013, 08:22:59 am »
It's such a shame pigs are such great animals and get so much meat from one animal but the feed costs don't add up I reared 4 weaners and it cost me £10-£19 a weeks from 8 weeks to feed....you can buy a full comercial pig for £90 now :/

Berkshire Boy

  • Joined May 2011
  • Presteigne, Powys
Re: There must be a lot of farmers coming out of pigs.
« Reply #10 on: April 12, 2013, 09:00:10 am »
Azzdodd you are missing the point, you can't compare a rare breed with a commercial. If you want cheap pork don't buy rare breed if you want great tasting pork do buy rare breed.
Everyone makes mistakes as the Dalek said climbing off the dustbin.

Bodger

  • Joined Jul 2009
Re: There must be a lot of farmers coming out of pigs.
« Reply #11 on: April 12, 2013, 10:36:48 am »
Are you North Wales over the gate?  Lu have a surpless!??  We made a straw bale sty last time which was fab, but ready for something that will last us now? Cheers, Fi

About seven miles from Pwllheli

Bodger

  • Joined Jul 2009
Re: There must be a lot of farmers coming out of pigs.
« Reply #12 on: April 12, 2013, 01:49:21 pm »
Incidentally, that £50 special was a hunk of junk. I wouldn't have given him 50 pence for it, let alone fifty quid.

colliewobbles

  • Joined Mar 2013
  • South Norfolk
Re: There must be a lot of farmers coming out of pigs.
« Reply #13 on: April 12, 2013, 02:02:53 pm »
Incidentally, that £50 special was a hunk of junk. I wouldn't have given him 50 pence for it, let alone fifty quid.

 :roflanim:  :roflanim:  :roflanim:  Laughing at your comment, not the dashing of your hopes by the way.  ;)

hughesy

  • Joined Feb 2010
  • Anglesey
Re: There must be a lot of farmers coming out of pigs.
« Reply #14 on: April 12, 2013, 02:52:35 pm »
In the Daily Post yesterday, our N. Wales regional paper, was a story about a pig producer here on Anglesey who's about to invest 400 grand on a new pig shed. It also states that they are currently getting £1.55 a kilo for the pigs they produce. Now if they can stump up 400 grand on a supposedly loss making business either the pig industry doom sayers are telling porkies or their accountant has been at the wacky baccy. Not relevant I know as none of us on here are in the position where we need to shift 100 odd porkers a week, but it makes you think a bit.

 

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