Pasture Perfect® Organic Pork

We are certified organic with The Organic Food Chain, an internationally recognised Organic Certifying Body.

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To see how we do things on Farm, Visit this You Tube Clip

Naturally, A Better Choice

• We aim to provide excellent quality meat and food, at the same time as improving the quality of life for animal and producer. With a Holistic approach to the management of our herd, and land, we intend to improve the soils and pasture, thus improving the quality of feed available to the animals, and of the food available to you.

OUR GUARANTEE TO YOU

1. We do not use chemicals on the animals or the land. No Antibiotics used on any animal sold as organic.
2. The animals are fed a balanced mix of Certified Organic grains that contain no Genetically Modified Products. All feed mixed to Australian Organic Standards.
3. Animals are free to run, graze, play, dig and show all of the characteristics true to their nature
4. Our Animals are always outdoors, with shelter available. 100% FREE RANGE, PASTURE RAISED AND CERTIFIED ORGANIC
5. All of the infrastructure that we have built for our animals is mobile, meaning that we do not set stock them.
6. At no time are any of our pigs confined to a cement floored shed or any shed. Too many pathogens can build up in areas that the Sun can’t sanitise. Even our quarantine sheds are mobile!
7. We have over 380 acres of certified organic land available for the pigs to range on, including 200 acres of irrigated, Certifeid Organic Pasture and Cereal Crops.

Healthy Land – Healthy Animals – Healthy People – Healthy Communities

Through our experience marketing this product to the customer at Farmers Markets, our clients found our pork far superior to others they had tasted. We believe that this is a combination of the breed of pig and that they are given a fresh areas to graze each few days to supplement the balanced ration they are fed.

Breed Choice

“The Berkshire is among swine what the thoroughbred is among horses – a type of perfect breeding. The berkshires are noted for their fine bone, great muscularity, firm flesh, and excellent hams and shoulders. Their constitutions are most excellent, and they are among the best of the improved breeds…” an excerpt from The New Pictorial Cyclopedia of Livestock  Hon. Jonathan Periam and A.H Baker V.S Published 1901

Berkshires have long been a favourite of farmers, because of their superior taste, they are also renowned for their mothering abilities and their tolerance to both heat and cold which makes them a great outdoor pig. Not surprising that some of the best restaurants in the world seek out pork from the Berkshire Pig.

It is only in the past 50 years or so with the increase in intensive piggeries that the breed was phased out. Being a black pig, they are much more suited to life outside, as they don’t burn like white pigs do.

  Berkshires also have a high content of intra-muscular fat which makes the meat much easier to cook and more flavoursome. It does not dry out as much as other pork when cooked making it a juicer, more tender option.  The Berkshire is to pork what the Wagyu is to beef.

 Outdoor Management

One of the things that really sets us apart from other free range businesses is that the whole process is continually moving… literally! All of the infrastructure that we have built for the pigs is mobile. This is so that we can better manage the land and the animals.

We move the animals on a “Controlled Grazing Plan” utilising over 500 acres of land, using portable electric fences, mobile shelters and waterers. This allows us to have greater control over the impact the pigs are having on the ground that we put them on, and also to give us more control over the time we allow the ground and grasses to rest or recover. This is especially important as we move them over our irrigated organic horticulture areas.

We usually have a short “Graze” time followed by a long recovery period.  During this recovery period, any dung that is on the ground breaks down into the soil. Not only does this give the grasses time to recover, but also helps to break the life cycle of any intestinal parasites. It also gives the ground time to be sanitized by the sun so there is very low or no bacterial build up that may occur in set stocked free range operations, or shedded pork operations.

Pigs are separated according to age and size, with breeding sows into groups of about 15 – 25 animals and growers into groups of up to 250. Each group has  reticulated (piped) fresh water, dispensed with pig nipples, and shade/rain shelters on wheels. Grass, clovers, lucerne, plaintain and assorted weeds are not all the pigs have to eat. They receive a ration of Balanced Organic Pig Food daily. After the morning feed we find they spend the rest of the day playing, sleeping, grazing or foraging.

Identification

Like any good operation, all animals are identifiable, either by an ear notch or tag. This way we can track the performance of progeny, check the compatibility of breeding partners, and keep an eye on any health problems that may arise. All breeding sows are kept on record with a breed card so we can track litter numbers and date of birth, piglet mortality and cause, weaning percentages and general health issues.

Farrowing

  All sows that are close to farrowing are moved to an area fenced off for mothers only. Like our whole operation, the farrowing area is also mobile. We have large, mobile farrowing huts. This helps to keep the sows and piglets comfortable through hot and cold weather and of course, protects them from rain and sun. Before the sow goes into the area, the hut is moved to a clean piece of ground and filled with straw. The sow will move into a hut and nest when she is ready to farrow. The sows are fed daily and the piglets are a given a creep feeder so they can choose how much they want to eat. At birth or in the next 21 days, all piglets are ear notched.  Males are castrated. Each farrowing area is used by about 15 sows, and is then allowed to rest for up to 1 year.

Weaning

Piglets are weaned at 8 - 10 weeks of age. At weaning the mothers are moved out of the area and the weaners are left in with the peers they grew up with.  They have a self feeder and waterer as well as shade/weather shelters. We are finding the weaners much more settled when we move the mothers out than if we move the weaners to a new area.

When the Weaners reach about 16 weeks of age they are moved out into the growers paddock and into our usual movement schedule. They are restrained with 2 electric wires and are moved regularly. They are provided with   waterers and shelter, and are fed once a day. When we feed, we count them all and check that they are in good health. Any gilts that are selected for breeding are ready for the boar at about 6 – 8 months of age.

We find that these growers perform very well and put on weight easily.

Health

We have stopped vaccinating our breeding stock as we found that we were having a higher stillbirth rate with vaccination as compared to stock that had not been vaccinated. We also believe that because the pigs are able to graze and select what they need from the grasses, forbs, roots, soil minerals etc., and that they are not forced to live in inhumane conditions without natural sunlight and the chance to play, dig, run and be happy, that they have a much higher immunity to illnesses. We prevent sickness in our herd through careful management and the use of homeopathics. We do not use antibiotics in our feed or in the routine treatment of illnesses.

We don’t need to use chemicals or even natural remedies such as sulphur, to treat parasites either. We find that parasite life cycles are broken through the constant move/rest process. If we do find a sick animal, it is taken to the quarantine pen and treated with Homeopathics, herbal remedies and Reiki until better. Over the 5 years that we have had pigs we have had Zero disease outbreaks and a very low percentage of illnesses.