[white-blazes]

Hi all, I responded to an advert for 23 week old saddle backs, but as time has gone by they are now 33 weeks old.


Not had this breed before for our own pork only large whites/middle whites/welsh, basically pink skinned.


If we buy these and keep for a few weeks, (3 boars) are we likely to get boar taint at this age?


Thanks in advance 

[Fowgill Farm]

They're way over age now,they must be huge; straight to the butchers would be my advice. We aim to get boars away by 28wks max. You will be able to get both pork and bacon from these.
hth
mandy

[white-blazes]

Thanks Fowgill, not actually seen them yet, hoping to go today and if good take delivery Sunday, then slaughter as soon as 3 week standstill is up. £40 each seems a good price don't you think?

[Hassle]

Do you have pigs already?

stand still rules, exemptions taken from Annex A Version 32

f.       Movements to slaughter
Animals may move off premises direct to a slaughterhouse, slaughter collecting centre, dedicated slaughter collection or dedicated slaughter market irrespective of whether livestock have moved onto those premises in the previous 6 days (or 20 days for any pig on a holding onto which other pigs have been moved). From a dedicated slaughter market or dedicated slaughter collection, no animal may return to its premises of origin or move to any premises other than a slaughterhouse.

[white-blazes]

No, does this mean standstill wouldn't apply?

[Hassle]

edited my previous post 

[white-blazes]

Ah I never knew that, thanks

[Fowgill Farm]

I don't believe that it applies when you take them to slaughter anyway.(Ah Hassle posted as i did!)
 £40 sounds way too cheap for 33wk old pigs, whats the catch, i'd be a bit suspicious, they're not stolen are they?
Mandy

[white-blazes]

No catch, they have 6 this age and another two litters due in the next month.  Only trouble is our abattoir is 2 hours away lol 

[Hassle]

Also

Current legislation dictates that movements of cattle, sheep, goats and pigs off a holding can only take place after complying with a stand still period.

The standstill period where cattle, sheep and goats are moved onto a holding is 6 days. Where pigs are moved onto a holding the standstill period is 20 days in circumstances where pigs are moving off. If cattle, sheep or goats are moved onto a holding then no cattle, sheep, goat or pig can be moved off the holding within 6 days of that movement. The standstill period does not include the day of the event. For example, cattle, sheep or goats brought onto the holding on a Saturday will mean that cattle, sheep, goats or pigs will be unable to move off the holding until the following Saturday. If pigs move onto a holding then no pigs can be moved off the holding within 20 days. However, any cattle, sheep or goats on that holding will be able to move after 6 days of the movement on.
For example, pigs move on to a holding on the 1st of the month, cattle sheep and goats can move off on the 8th and pigs can move off on 22nd of the month

I hope this helps and explains the initial stand still rules better for you   

[Hassle]

White-blazes

Also have a look at the abattoir list up above and ask around.

I have some large abattoirs within the hour of me and a butcher shop that still has it's own, I use this it's small friendly and I quicker, due to less queueing.  There may still be a butchers near you that does it?

[white-blazes]

Duh, hubby has a follow-up dentist on Monday due to root canal surgery so we couldn't get to abattoir then (they only do pigs Mondays) so it looks like we'd have to do the full standstill.  We'll go see them today or tomorrow and suss it out.  It was the taint that was my main concern.  Thanks peeps, you've been most helpful x

[white-blazes]

Hassle, we've done this thoroughly the last 2 years.  We have a local butcher/abattoir who did our first batch and then let us down badly with the second lot at Christmas despite us booking in in October, so plenty of notice.  Others don't do pigs, just sheep.  We're on an island so found Wrexham the most helpful as they took ours in that December at short notice.  We've used them again since and as they supply another local butcher we arranged for him to collect our carcasses and so meat was picked up locally, so only the one long trip to do.
Heather

[Hassle]

OK no worries, good luck

Kind Regards

[Bodger]

No catch, they have 6 this age and another two litters due in the next month.  Only trouble is our abattoir is 2 hours away lol 

Its still going to be very cheap pork You've found a real bargain, the people selling them will have lost shed loads of money on them. It begs the question as to why they are still continuing to breed more pigs.