[DeanoT2000]

Hi! This is my first post and my first foray into Pigkeeping so please be gentle!

Myself and OH have 3 x OSB gilts currently nearing baconer weight and almost ready for the 'chop'. We've researched a local good quality (it would seem) abattoir, arranged the transport, got the slap marking kit, about to actually decide on day 'X' and then arrange relevant eAML type docs, so feeling reasonably happy.

After much research on this and other sites I cannot for the love of me find recent posts on current pricing for rare breed, free range, well looked after pork. I've found a recent post on sausage pricing which I've taken on board (probably going to go for £8-9 per kg) but nothing more recent than 2014 on pricing the rest of the beast.

I've seen commercial outfits (welsh in nature) offering a half pig (albeit the image shows a fair bit less than a real 1/2 pig would yield) for £99! How the hell are they doing that?! Its cost me almost that each in feed to rear ours, never mind initial cost of weaners, transport, bedding etc etc.  Now I understand these will probably be generic pink pigs but non the less thats damned cheap.

So, what is the collective wisdom?

Im hoping that we can manage to make sufficient on 5 of the sides to pay for the 6th and therefore we have our pork for the year free(ish).

Many thanks.

Deano

[3county farm boy]

How are you selling them in halves or joints etc?

[kate7590]

We sell ours for about £10 per kg

[DeanoT2000]

How are you selling them in halves or joints etc?

Hi, TBH not sure as yet. like the idea of 'by the kg' as it makes the math work.  Ive had two people ask to buy a half, jointed etc and the going rate seems about £130-150. Im not a tight arse but thats an awful lot of pork for that price as our pigs have a live weight of around 80kg so should have a carcass weight of 55-60kg making a half even after butchery, de-boning etc over 20kg!

Thoughts?

ATB

Deano

[pharnorth]

Hi. The prices vary a quite a lot depending on your local market, how direct to customer you are etc.  I do my half pigs at around £160 but I only do a small number, they are to friends who put their name down when I get the weaners and the final prices is set based on costs plus 25% (a half of every 2 pigs) I keep to cover the effort space, facilities.

Joints and sausages I do separately at around £9 To £10kg. Don't underestimate the extra cost and effort into selling 20 people a kilo each rather than one person 20kg. For that reason the half pig deal should always look like a good deal!

[DeanoT2000]

Can I ask what 'half a pig' constitutes exactly?

Are people literally giving 50% of the carcass by weight?   The contents lists for several of the online pig supplies vary wildly (one includes 22 chops per half pig..... how long is that bloody pig???!!!) and the weights of the carcass vary wildly also.

Mine are currently about 80-85kg by the tape so half a pig could be up to 25kg butchered... @£160 a half thats £6.40 per kg which is pretty p*ss poor.

Costs for weaners, feed, bedding, transport and basic 'kill and cut' etc come in at £250 for each of my three pigs.
 
Include sausage making and bacon curing overheads and that will probably be closer to £300 per animal.

If the going rate is £160 per half (for example) im practically breaking even...... lets not even go into the cost of slap marking kit, arc repair, electric fencing.....etc.....!

I didnt get into this to make money but I didnt think I'd be making a bloody loss!!

Yours (in a slight depression)

Deano

[pharnorth]

Can only answer for myself, in my case a half pig is just that, a half by weight of the returned carcass, includes a fair amount of sausages. My pigs are lighter 70kg maybe by tape and as stated previously my costs work out at around £480 for two pigs so by selling 3 X half at £160 I get one half pig as my 'cut'. Works out about £8kg for the half pig, but as individual joints I do at closer to £10 as more effort, cost of packing etc.

Don't sell cured meat.

[greenbeast]

Don't sell cured meat.

do sell cured meat, but charge appropriately.

[Daisys Mum]

I sell a half pig at £190, this includes some bacon and sausages, have never had a problem selling at that in fact my customers are all regulars

[DeanoT2000]

Interesting. Many thanks for the replies and views, it will be intesting to see what the three 'not so little' pigs provideafter the big day.  Ive booked them in for Mon 27th at Neil James in Raglan and will give some feedback after the fact.

ATB

Deano

[farmers wife]

Who is slaughtering Dean?  I am currently looking for a mobile butcher used Neil in past the cutting is 'rustic' & in bags - make sure you list what you want accurately you know which cut is which.  I had a lad here who cut in old fashioned way who took time and elegance in his ways.  Something that is usually missing from home kill butchers.


Im organic my whole pig would be £360 but cant sell around here so given up and just sell to the odd friend and fill our freezer.


I used Simon Cutter from Model farm in Ross - he cut the pigs up very nice and delivered it back to us. I would like to kill local (Neil still kill pigs?) struggle to find good local someone recommended Talgarth but that is one trek for us and back seems incredibly sad.

[pharnorth]

Don't sell cured meat.

do sell cured meat, but charge appropriately.

Oh I just meant 'I don't sell cured meat'. It was a badly worded statement not a command!

[Hairybathplug]

Neil still does pigs, he did my two last autumn.  Dropping off is easy, presentation would be better vac packed rather than bags, rustic is a good analogy.  Well worth having sausages!

[farmers wife]

Oh that sounds good I was under the impression Neil had stopped pigs saves trip to Havards (thats another story).  I will think about him cutting up if I am desperate.


When selling it is imperative if you are raising to high welfare etc the packaging and labeling also has to be excellent too especially if you want to sell at the higher end.  Sloppy bags, poor cutting, bags of blood, with 1 label doesnt suffice.  Because most people freeze the labeling has to say what is in it and weight. Legally it should state slaughtered in and cut in codes with use by dates but when selling halves etc you can get away with it on the box label. 


When selling the whole system has to be excellent and give the impression of quality.  The biggest problem we encountered when selling direct over 10 years ago was the butchery and labelling.   The butchery was just not up the price we were selling for and I think this lost us customers.  Labels need to be freezer proof.  You can write these and adhoc selling some butchers do do this for you.

[Caroline1]

I have found about £150-160 for half a pig is the current going rate. Yes I have also done the maths and there really is no profit to be made doing this small scale. I think that's why so many people make the sausages as you can add value to those a bit more.