We love our pigs. We feed them a mix of dairy, vegetables, fruit, and non-GMO kibble. They are able to express their piggy natures through eating a varied diet, rooting in the ground, establishing a social structure with each other, and being able to run and play. We shift them to new pasture every so often, so that they can do the work they love the best: rooting out brambles and turning thickety field edge into pasture. We provide shelter for them to sleep in and hide from the rain, and part of their pasture is always shaded.
(Here, Tony is showing off our latest version of our baby pig shelter, creatively built using found and donated materials)
When we send our pigs off to slaughter in Metchosin (the closest abattoir we have available to us), we give them access to the transport trailer for at least a few days before they head out. On the day that they’re due to be sent to the abattoir, they happily go into the trailer to check out the food we’ve placed inside. We send them to a small abattoir that takes care of them kindly and quickly.
We have slaughtered pigs ourselves, but due to BC law, we can not legally sell meat that has been slaughtered outside of a federally-inspected facility.
We believe that we give our pigs a good life, and the best end we can manage, and that our pork is fantastic as a result. We hope you’ll agree!
If you would like to be on our waitlist for pork, please send us an email at castironfarmsooke@gmail.com.
