[MR C CHICKS]

We are new to pig keeping but could do with a little help please. Bit confused !!!  We read on the sites, people talking about pigs being pure breeds. Pigs being registered and notified. We have just bought our first pigs 6 gos boars. They are great, they have ear tags but don't understand the registered bit. The farmer who sold us them told us and we seen ,the sow and boar. Is the registering just for showing ??  Cheers for any advise

[Daisys Mum]

I presume  that you are rearing your boys for meat so no advantage to them being registered, you would want any to be registered if you were breeding or showing.

[langdon]

hi we are new to pig keeping too,we have three british saddlebacks for meat,
we were told on ere weither for showing, breeding or for meat pigs have to be registred.
for traceibilty if any case of outbreak of disease(e.g. foot and mouth).
you registra with defra
happy pig keeping

[shetlandpaul]

your thinking of defra registering. the people are talking about registring their pigs with the breed society.

[langdon]

aaagh im best to keep me fingers off the keys!
there are two types of registering, gosh its not easy is it? or is it?

[Helencus]

Hi as Paul said registering with Defra is a must. This Is what allows them to keep track of where the animals are kept. Piglets from pure breed pigs will be birth notified with the british pig association but only those that conform to breed standard that you breed or show will be registered with the BPA.

[Helencus]

Nah it's not that bad I'm nearly 2 months in and yes there's a bit of paperwork to do and guidelines to follow re welfare but they're worth it.

[Mr Pig]

Since the various replies so far are confusing me, let me try and explain the actual situation.

Every pig keeper must firstly register their holding with the RPA and obtain a CPH number. That means that Defra knows that there is potentially livestock at this address. (this is for England; check with the equivalents in the devolved authorities for local rules). When you get your pigs you must also register with the Animal Health Office to obtain your herd no. It is this number that must appear on a tag every time a pig moves off your premises.  You also need to notify your local Trading Standards Office when you get your pigs so that they can issue you with movement licence forms and perform spot checks on your record keeping.

Providing both parents are pure bred and registered pedigree, your pigs can (should) be birth notified and permanently ear marked, preferably by notching or tattooing (according to the breed) by 8 weeks of age or before mixing with other pigs, whichever is the sooner. (They can be double tagged also in certain circumstances but some breeders now refuse to buy pedigree stock so marked as it is easy to abuse the tagging). Birth notification is the first step in pedigree registration. You may think that for meat pigs you don't need to bother but for all the BPA breeds (most of all breeds except Kune Kune and British Lops) you can get a Meat Certificate FOC which proves that the pigs are the breed you say they are. This is important as Trading Stds are tightening up on what people claim and this is your best defence. By the same token, although the 2 parents may be pure bred, if they are not registered pedigree, it is illegal to sell them by the breed name.

The final part of registration can take place at any subsequent time and only the breeder can register stock. Be aware that if you buy pigs for fattening and then decide to keep one or more for breeding, the breeder can legitimately refuse to register the pig(s) if they had breed faults.

[Malc]

When planning to birth notify a litter for the first time allow plenty of time for the British Pig Association to process your membership application. They're not a big organisation so things don't happen exactly quickly - as I found out this winter. £60 gets you the on-line membership which allows you to birth notify electronically - ironically the BPA sends you the details by second class post . Give yourself a bit of time to find your way around the members section of the website too - it's not the most user friendly. Having said that, the folk at the office in Cambridge are very helpful and once you get used to it, it's relatively straightforward.

[Hilarysmum]

Quote Mr Pig:  "By the same token, although the 2 parents may be pure bred, if they are not registered pedigree, it is illegal to sell them by the breed name."

Whilst not doubting what you state, could you quote me where you found this info, I am trying to write an article on pig keeping.  Thanks

[Mr Pig]

Reference with details can be found on the GOSPBC website http://www.oldspots.org.uk/labelling.asp. The same ruling has been incorporated into the recent voluntary labelling code of pork and pork products signed up to by the supermarkets in the UK. Details of this can be found on the GOSPBC Forum under 'Selling Pork & Bacon'. However, I cannot claim that these rules apply outside the UK.

[Fowgill Farm]

Mr Chicks
if it helps (and its how i explain to beginners)
Think of Birth Notices as 'birth certificates' and registering as a getting a 'passport'.
You cannot get a passport without a birth certificate. The parent must both have 'passports' to get 'birth certs' for their offspring. If you want to breed seriously and sell your pigs and their produce by breed name your breeding stock needs to be registered. Always ask the breeder you buy from and if in doubt ask for the regsitrtation or litter reference and you can look them up on the BPA website. If it not birth notified or registered its any old pig! even if its come from the purest of the breed!
HTH
mandy

[MR C CHICKS]

Sorry folks i didn't explain myself properly. I have registered my pigs with all the reverent authorities and have my cph number . What i did not do is ask the farmer i got them off are they registered with BPA as gos when they were born. We are only keeping pigs for meat for now but do fancy maybe breeding in  the future to help pay for the land we rent. Cheers for all the sound advise

[Hilarysmum]

Thanks Mr Pig.