Dennis Bridgeford
Dennis Bridgeford
Dennis Bridgeford farms
50ha (125 acres) at Petley
Farm in Easter Ross, about
40 miles north of Inverness.
The farm comprises of a 480-
sow indoor unit producing
95kg pigs for one outlet and
85kg pigs for a more local
abattoir. A further 320 sows
are run outdoors, with
progeny sold at 7kg. The land
not used for pigs grows
spring barley for use in the
farms mill-and-mix plant.
THE questions on every pig farmers lips at the moment are either the price of pigs, have you finished conversion out of stalls, or what changes the new food agency will bring in.
I have no real difficulty accepting the new quango if it actually does mean that food will be safer. The main concern I have over the scheme is who is going to inspect foreign food coming into the UK?
When you acknowledge the huge amount of Continental pigmeat being shipped in, being fed on product that we are not allowed to use, with accommodation that we will not be allowed to use and wel
THE questions on every pig farmers lips at the moment are either the price of pigs, have you finished conversion out of stalls, or what changes the new food agency will bring in.
I have no real difficulty accepting the new quango if it actually does mean that food will be safer. The main concern I have over the scheme is who is going to inspect foreign food coming into the UK?
When you acknowledge the huge amount of Continental pigmeat being shipped in, being fed on product that we are not allowed to use, with accommodation that we will not be allowed to use and welfare considerations that would at the very least be frowned on in this country, there is no way this product should be sold alongside ours without distinct labelling.
What really brought this home to me was that "the man from the ministry" has been twice recently to get samples of feed to check for the inclusion of meat and bonemeal. On both occasions we have tested negative. I did not expect any other result as I have never fed this product in all the years I have produced pigs.
One of the advantages of supplying a local abattoir is the feedback you can gain. I took the advantage of checking lung scores for EP lesions this week. It would appear that the vaccine is doing a first class job; the lungs looked nice and pink and generally healthy. It will at least make me feel a bit better when I sign the vets cheque.
I have decided to take the plunge and purchase some soyabean meal on a forward contract for the middle of the year. By the law of averages I am going to get it right once in a while: The wheat I purchased at harvest has been about £10/t out, the barley just about spot on, so with soya coming in at the mid-£150s lets hope I am correct. This will have a direct result of saving £10/t on a finishing diet compared with current prices.
Our new line in gilts for the indoor unit are beginning to show great numbers born and weaned. There is no doubt that we served the first delivery too early. We are now leaving them at least 10 weeks after delivery, which is expensive but looks as though it will be worth the extra cost. But it might also help if the breeding company didnt deliver gilts that were below 100kg; I suspect where the average weight was 100kg there would be less complaint. *
Buying in soya on a forward contract should help save £10/t on finishing rations, says Dennis Bridgeford.