A Simple Formula
At Porcus we look after over 120 pigs at any one time – all free range, truly outdoor living, native breeds. They breath fresh air and walk on real ground, the ground we call our farm in the Pennines.
If they are under the weather we go the extra mile to care for them. That extra care is stronger than any drugs. There is no need to blanket medicate like the industrial scale pig units do – our animals don’t live on top of each other in dark cramped barns – they live in open spaces, eat good varied food and are slow grown to allow the development of that fantastic flavour accredited to best reared meat that you have come to expect from us.
‘Doing in private what you say you do in public’ – is more than words. Porcus is about quality, honesty and provenance. Our understanding of these terms can be summed up as not just about knowing the ‘source’ or ‘origin’ but also the method, the journey and the ethos of turning the raw materials into the product on offer.
A simple formula but it is our key to giving them a good life. We care because, as livestock farmers, we will eventually turn them from living beings to food for our tables.
Very Nature of Livestock Farming
This is the very nature of livestock farming and to deny or ignore this is dishonest. It is by no means an easy job; it requires both compassion and common sense and so to pretend it doesn’t happen can allow bad practice to creep in. Most of us prefer to gloss over the unpalatable aspects of food farming but by hiding from the truth we allow ourselves to be open to fraud, to be sold an untruth or at the very least, misled.
Farming the Porcus way removes this opportunity for deception, for hiding, disseminating or just plain pretending that antibiotic laden lumps of misery in concrete farrows have a good life before being turned into good food.
It is by no means an easy job; it requires both compassion and common sense and so to pretend it doesn’t happen can allow bad practice to creep in.
It Only Ever Matters If You Want It Too
The future is uncertain but we can assure ourselves of some things; things that nourish us, the animals whose lives ensure ours can thrive.
Small changes: Eat less meat, and when you do, vitally, check that the provenance is true. Don’t fall for pretty graphics or websites full of Brady Bunch teams. (At Porcus, we do wash our faces before having our pictures taken but only because our mums would kill us otherwise). Buy local, ask to see where it is grown, real farmers are proud of their farms and will happily show you their hard work. Use cheaper cuts of meat to help your budget; by buying different cuts, the whole animal gets utilised – not just the breast as with some chickens and the rest discarded.
Small changes make the world a bigger place. It’s our world, the only one we have to live in – so don’t grumble – change it or accept that all we will be getting is small change.
There is no greatness in asking what’s in it for you if you can’t imagine giving that much back and more.
Proud of our Provenance
Porcus is about real food. Food made with real provenance made by people who care for those whom they serve.
All our pigs are grown in fields and free-to-roam in the fresh air – just as pigs should!
All Porcus pigs are rare breed – which means they need much longer to grown. We also afford them the highest welfare standards and in return we get the most fabulous tasting meat.
Living in the fresh Yorkshire air is great for the pigs – but it brings challenges for us as farmers that the intensive units don’t have. That said – The end result makes those challenges truly worth it!
We produce a range of charcuterie, Artisan sausages and a range of ready made meals with a difference.
We are passionate about what we do and believe that we can make a difference by doing it!
Porcus isn’t just a farm – it’s an ethos and a way of life for all involved.
