[MiriMaran]

OK thanks for that YorkshireSmallholder I'll give them another call.

[Farmer]

Spt on YorkshireSmallolder...DEFRA woman got it wrong...not surprising though eh!

Slap marking is the solution

Farmer
 

[MiriMaran]

Anyone got one I can borrow?!

[Farmer]

No point in borrowing MiniMaran...it has to have YOUR herd number...not expensive, take a look at the website I recommended in an earlier post

farmer
 

[Farmer]

Just noticed this add on the TAS forum - Pig Equipment, Slap Marker, Pig Board Ideal For The smallholder - www.pigletspenpigshop.appee.co.uk

Hope this helps
farmer
 

[MiriMaran]

Thank you

[MiriMaran]

OK I phoned the AHO in Staffordshire and explained about the conflicting info that I'd been getting and she absolutely swore blind that the breeder's tag is fine for the pigs going to slaughter and said that if any of the bureaucrats question it to give her a call!

So I'm going to listen to her I think and hope for the best.  Thanks for everyones advice.  Next time we get pigs we will definitely slap mark with OUR herd number!!!

[dixie]

I thought you had to mark them with YOUR numbr for slaughter, it was my post on river cottage listed above! I rang defra who confirmed it! I bought a slap marking kit for £80 including the ink (green) slapper, and ink pad. If you can get it cheaper in separates dont bother with the ink pad, if you're only doing a few at a time you can use an old toothbrush to ink up the slapper and not use the pad, HTH! Next time you buy weaners insist they come with a temporary paintmark so you dont get unpleasant bleeding from tags! The tag thing is a joke anyway, they have to withstand carcass processing! I've yet to have a pig returned with its tag intact Good luck when are you taking them?

[chickenfeed]

hi
i would always slap my pigs you can always see you have your own back from slaughter by the slap marks i dont know about other slaughter houses but i have never had an ear back so ear tags would be no use. i do know a lot of people round here to slap on all 4 quarters just to make sure their own pig comes back when cut up its hard to tell.
dont worry about the green or black ink situation saddlebacks kill out white, we always use black ink on ours.

[MiriMaran]

We are planning to take the pigs for slaughter towards the end of the month.  The only problem is its very close to our 5 year olds birthday!

[dixie]

Mini party sausages then!!

[little blue]

Where are you taking them, and are they butchered on-site?
Ours are breeders, being Kunes but the piglets we cant sell next year will be sausages, so I'm interested, if you dont mind me asking!

[Hilarysmum]

Good luck.  It will all be fine.

LB not sure if its the same over there, but our slaughter house will only take pigs between 90-110 k.  Check before taking them.

[MiriMaran]

Littleblue, I'm taking them to Elliots in Chesterfield and then the carcasses will go to the local farmshop where our neighbour is a butcher.  He'll then bring them home to us and he's going to help us butcher them on the kitchen table!  He's also ordering sausage casings e.t.c. for us so we get them at trade prices.

Dixie, Harry has already asked us to label all sausages so that he only eats his pigs sausages!  Don't know what his friends will think of eating our pigs though!!

[Hilarysmum]

They will not bother, once they have tried them.  be prepared for queues of Mother's wanting to buy your sausages once the kids have tried them.