Ethical and Sustainable
At Tweed Trotters we pride ourselves on producing ethical and sustainable Oxford Sandy & Black pork and we do this by raising our pigs to the highest welfare standards near Peebles, in the Scottish Borders.
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Our Pedigree Oxford Sandy and Black pigs are free to roam throughout acres of beautiful woodland in the Scottish Borders. Our pigs are raised to the highest of welfare standards in their natural woodland environment and spend their lives outdoors just being pigs, foraging and rooting around until their hearts content.
As you can see, they spend most of their time in the woods, doing what pigs do, but sometimes they are put to work elsewhere on the farm aerating the compost, clearing bracken, or turning over other areas that need attention.
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Our pigs are very active (when they are not snoozing) and this combined with their slower natural growth rates and varied diet provides you with beautifully coloured and richly flavoured nutritious meat. It’s proper pork!
Raised in the highest of welfare conditions
We care deeply about the welfare of our pigs and equally so of the environment where they live, by introducing pigs into the woodlands on the farm we wanted to rejuvenate these areas and increase biodiversity.
Pigs naturally thrive in woodland environments as it provides them with food sources, shelter, and space to roam, which is crucial for their well-being and allows them to exhibit their natural behaviours. Our pigs play an important role in the woodland ecosystem by clearing undergrowth and disturbing the seedbank which helps regenerate plants, and by rooting for food, which aerates the soil and is beneficial for other species.
Our pigs have a positive impact in their woodland home by managing the undergrowth, clearing bracken, disturbing the soil and seed bank which encourages fresh new growth on the forest floor. We have also noticed an increase in insect and bird life in the areas where the pigs have been.
We don’t use any pesticides or fertilisers (other than pig poop) nor do our pigs receive any routine medications. We don’t dock any tails or clip any teeth and our pigs live in groups with freedom to roam around their woodland home.
Why Oxford Sandy & Blacks?
My daughter chose the breed based on a list of requirements that she was given, like a little project for her when she was still at school. We wanted to support the preservation of a native rare breed and we needed one that was hardy and capable of living outdoors all year round with only basic shelter. We wanted a breed that had a good temperament, easy to handle, and known for their mothering ability. We also required a breed capable of producing high quality pork and bacon with rich flavour and succulent texture.
The Oxford Sandy and Black is a particularly good forager; their short snouts mean they don't dig too deep, their rooting and disturbance of the forest floor encourages germination of dormant seeds, promoting regeneration of the forest floor and increasing species diversity. Pigs can help speed up the decomposition of fallen trees, increasing the organic matter content of the soil at a faster rate.