I started the business in 2004 with two in pig Large Black gilts
from a prison farm near Boston which we put in a field at the bottom of the
garden in Scotts Lane – hence the name Scotts Field Pork. We expanded to six sows
and a boar and moved to this farm in Oxborough in 2005. We continued to breed
the pigs pure but found that although the taste & tenderness of the meat
was most appreciated it was a little too fat for modern tastes. We decided to
cross The Large Black with a commercial boar and after a series of experiments
found that the Duroc Boar worked best by reducing back fat levels whilst
maintaining intramuscular fat and improving confirmation. This made the meat we
produce more appealing to our butchers and their customers and we have been
able to expand the herd to about a hundred sows – seventy of them pure bred
Large Blacks and about thirty Large Black cross Welsh sows using the Duroc as a
terminal sire.
We originally chose The Large Black Pig as it used to be the
commercial pig of choice for East Anglian farmers indeed my maternal grandfather
had a herd of Large Black Pigs as did my paternal great grandfather who kept
them in his Orchard at Blakeney so there is a strong family connection.
We also felt there was an opportunity to help a rare breed
by trying to create a viable business based on the breed’s favourable eating
qualities and it’s ability to thrive outdoors. This would give our butcher
customers a product not available in the supermarkets and thus enable them to
grow their pork sales.
In summary the business has four main aims. One is to
provide an income for us as a family & hopefully a full time member of
staff. The second is to increase the fertility of this Breckland soil on the
host farm, the third is to promote the Large Black Pig and encourage others to
do a similar thing with another rare breed. The fourth is to give our butcher
customers a branded product to help to increase their sales within the local
community
