[Higgins11]

I know that by regulation you can not feed slop to pigs straight from your table or kitchen. BUT

if the food is processed and new is it ok to feed to pigs.  For example. Milk that is 1 day out of date and can not be sold in the store. It is still pasturized. it is still sealed up like you buy it at the store.

or bread that is just been pulled off store shelves because it has "sat" to long on shelves......NOT molded

is this considered swill?

[BillyBerridge]

I can't see a problem with that, Some animal feed supplier's sell bread as a cheap feed!

Bread has its draw back though, it dosent really conatain any goodness you can feed it to dry sows aswell as a vitimain supplement but its pretty pointless feeding it to growing pigs as it ruins there daily weight gain.

Milk is good for weak or under weight pigs but I would imagine if you gave it as a regular supplement they would pretty soon run to fat.

Its always worth remembering what you put in (food) is what you get back. I.e a pig that has been fed to quality feed will produce top quality pork! A pig that hasnt wont!!

[Hilarysmum]

Over here its common place to ask at the supermarkets for "waste" non meat food for all sorts of animals not just pigs.

[Higgins11]

I just don't want to be accused of feeding slop or swill

Ideally I would be able to find a dairy and get bulk milk but I take what I can get and i guess free 2% is good enough.

[shetlandpaul]

no its not ok you need to read defras guide if your in the uk. the rules ban all animal products that would include milk. slops have been banned for years they would have been through a kitchen. bread and veg from a supermarket would be fine. i would have thought that ireland would have the same rules as they are eu wide.

[Roxy]

We have a big commercial pig farm just up the lane.  I know someone who is a haulier and he takes wagon full of sweets, bread etc. up for the pigs.  They have cakes too, which I assume are whats swept up from a bakery or something.  We got a bag of the cakes one day, and Rick and the dogs were eating them!!!

[sausagesandcash]

Aren't breadcrumbs from waste bread a primary ingredient in most commercial pig feeds?

[Hilarysmum]

I dont think the rules are applied as strictly here.  Our local biscuit factory sends all its waste to a local commercial pig farm.  Hilary is just so envious chocolate brownies ...... fruit cake, breton biscuits .....

[shetlandpaul]

i think the stuff from bakers is ok. very little risk of meat contact. its the word slops that sounds bells ringing. i guess there is a very small risk of contamination with bakery products but they seem ok with it so its best to keep quite about it or they will ban it to. they must deem a bakery not to be a kitchen.

[Mr Pig]

Defra rules quite expicity state: "It is permissible to source certain types of former foodstuffs, as well as fruit and vegetables, from non-catering premises for feeding to pigs but this can only be done from those premises that either do not handle materials banned from being fed to pigs , or have HACCP procedures in place to ensure complete seperation from prohibited materials, and these procedures have been agreed with the local authority"

There are plenty of meat products found in most bakeries such as sausage rolls, pizzas, sandwich fillings, even lardy cake. Also items where eggs are the main ingredient such as quiches are banned.

As for milk, unless it is waste from your own cows, can only be fed to pigs if a licence is granted by Defra.

[shetlandpaul]

thanks mr pig vastly more up on the info than i am.

[cameldairy]

Wow, do you mean that you can't feed what you want to your OWN pigs for your OWN consumption? Or are you talking about feeding it to pigs that you would sell?

[MiriMaran]

These rules are for everyone regardless of whether the pigs are for selling or for your own consumption.  This is how mad the rules are - if I pick a piece of broccoli from the veg patch and walk to the field I am legally allowed to feed it to the pigs, but if I carry the Broccoli through the kitchen it becomes illegal as it has gone through a food preparation area!!!!!!!

As far as I am aware we shouldn't even be buying veg from supermarkets because as Mr Pig said the seller must have HACCP procedures in place that has been agreed by the local authority.

I was lucky as I got all the out of date fruit and veg from a market stallholder.

[shetlandpaul]

the reason behind the rules is sensible. but alas we have that many paper pushers that they have to take things too far. the idea of banning kitchen waste was to protect the animals and industry from foot and mouth and other nasties. were they then argue that a bag of waste leaves from your cabbage or whatever pose the same risk is debatable. its your choice what you feed your animals but remember if you cause disease you not going to be the most popular person in the community. plus you could be held responsible for the cost of the clean up.

[Hilarysmum]

Our farm advisor did not realise pigs would clear ground, had never been close up to a pig before he came to our place and his assistant is finding it difficult to grasp the concept of pigs in fields.  If these are the people who write the rules its understandable that what to most of us appears to be common sense, has disappeared.