Food production is a mammoth and often complex system… but that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t be curious about what’s involved.
The questions and answers are a starting point… the things we have been asked about most often over the past 15 years. If there is something else you’d like us to talk about – drop us a message!
Life on the Pig Farms
Why is it important that our pigs have a damn good life?
Damn simple this is. We think it’s the right thing to do.
We believe that everyone who eats meat has a responsibility to ensure they know how the animals have been farmed and to be sure they are good with that.
We reckon pigs should always be in an environment that allows them to display their natural behaviour. The more natural the environment the happier the pig and the healthier the pig.
And there’s another real good part… the happier the pig the better the pork. For us it’s not about cheaper and cheaper… it’s about happier, healthier pigs and better tasting pork.
When people say 'free range' what do they mean?
We actually describe what we do as ‘Freedom Farming’… not free range. The thing is… we reckon free range should mean that the pig has lived all of its life on pasture like sheep and cows do… and this is actually very rare for pigs.
However for us as consumers and for most people we talk to, what we are looking for is an assurance that the pig have been farmed without cruelty, can always display their natural behaviour and their welfare is the number one priority (this is why we have every farm independently audited by QCONZ to make sure the ‘five freedoms’ welfare standards are being met).
But there’s heaps more… When we say ‘Farmed the Freedom Way’ it’s about more than where the piggies live. It’s about saying no way to growth hormones and tricky chemicals in the feed. It’s about controlling the use of antibiotics… trying to farm more sustainably and improving the quality of the meat we produce.
Too much to insist on? Hell no.
Why can't all the pigs just live in a paddock their whole life? Why do we encourage deep straw shelters?
In an idyllic world… we would like all those pigs in NZ kept inside on concrete to be let outside to roam. Wouldn’t that be awesome? But the reality is… it wouldn’t be awesome for long. It’s a matter of sustainability and scale… and managing a whole pile of piggy do do. Pigs wee about 30ml/kg per day… so a 70kg pig deposits just over 2L of urine onto the ground every day, as well as about 5kg of poo. The manure is rich in nitrogen… which is a problem. When too much nitrogen builds up in the soil it can leak down into the water table, or directly into our waterways… which overstimulates growth of aquatic plants and algae. You’ve probably seen people talking about farming and the yuck state of our waterways in the news? A big part of that is because there are just too many farm animals depositing their business on the ground. For us Freedom farming is about ensuring the pig has a good life without us messing up the environment. Here’s how it can be done…
Our pigs start out their lives in paddocks, chasing bugs and following mum and generally being pretty chuffed about life. Then, once they’ve been weaned and left mum, they’re moved into big open sided yards, called deep straw shelters. There’s a roof to keep out the rain (otherwise the ground turns to a massive slip’n’slide) but open enough to have lots of fresh air, sunny spots to bask in, shady bits for snoozing, and heaps of straw for napping, rooting around and playing in. In these shelters the pigs have access to food and clean water 24/7… and heaps of room to hoon around. The farmers stock up the straw to keep it fresh and fun to play in… and when the pigs head off for processing they scoop up all the trampled straw and the poo and wee that has been captured in it… and turn it into compost. This keeps the waste from polluting the land… and makes use of it in a really practical way!
Would we love to see all pigs outside in paddocks all their lives? Sure. But sadly unless the world farms way less pigs… it’s not realistic environmentally. Yes, there are a few free range farms out there with small droves of pigs and these can be sustainable. We love what they do. But we want more than that. We want to encourage farming that allows every indoor farm to transform into a ‘Freedom farm’.
Too much to insist on? Not at all.
What's a 'tricky chemical'?
There’s a heap of tricky stuff going on in farming worldwide these days. Some piggies have tricky chemicals slipped into their feed… designed to trick their bodies into producing lean muscle rather than fat.
NZ still permits one of these chemicals… ractopamine… to be fed to pigs produced here. We don’t like that. So it’s a big no-no on our farms.
We say ‘fat is good’… and it’s where the best flavour lives too!
Do pigs really get injected with growth hormones?
Thankfully NZ pig farmers have said a big ‘no way’ to using tricky growth hormones in NZ… it’s a voluntary ban we’re delighted about.
The most commonly used hormone is called PST (Porcine Somatotropin). It’s still registered for use in NZ… but we don’t know of anyone using it here… But… it’s pretty common in the countries pork is imported from.
There’s heaps of pork being imported into NZ… and as consumers we have no idea if it has hormones in it or not. Our farmers are getting a raw deal because they’re not puffing up their pigs with hormones… meaning they produce less meat for the same amount of work as their international competitors. Stink.
We reckon that’s not fair, and lots of you have told us you agree. Please make sure the brand you support guarantees no growth hormones…
Are our farms better for the environment?
Without a doubt.
The big problem with indoor pig farming is that they create as much raw sewerage as a small town (well some of the big ones do).
This sewerage is a real threat to our environment. It needs to go somewhere but it often ends up in the waterways and even in the water table. Not good we say.
By farming the sows and their piglets in fields the soil is enriched naturally.
And when the pigs are raised on deep straw they are busy enriching the straw with their poop. We love that because the straw is then composted and spread back over the fields… or used by other gardeners.
Are Freedom Farms pigs castrated?
No way… absolutely not.
We reckon that would be yuck!!
What's up with imported pork in my bacon and ham?
Here’s the thing.
Product of NZ or Made in NZ doesn’t mean the pork was farmed in NZ.
The reality is, most pork, ham and sausages are made from frozen imported pork.
This means you can’t be sure how it has been farmed.
Bet you could guess though…?
Are we certified organic?
No… to the best of our knowledge there is only a couple of very small scale certified organic pig farms in NZ. We think it’s awesome that they are able to make it work… but again it’s a matter of scale.
The challenge is feed. To be organic the feed needs to be organic too… and for a larger operation this means importing feed from overseas. We don’t like this and would prefer to support our farmers to grow the feed right on the farms. That makes more sense to us… so for the time being won’t achieve organic certification.
Maybe one day.
It's all very nice, but what about the abattoir?
The reality is getting on a truck and heading off down the road can be stressful for a pig.
We have deliberately chosen an abattoir that is nice and close to the farms to help reduce this stress.
The abattoir is privately owned (and is also inspected by the independent auditors). This is important to us.
We have been there ourselves and watched the process and learned about the systems in place to keep everything safe and calm, for the pigs and the staff.
There is no getting around the fact that their last day has the potential to be the worst day for the pigs – but the systems in place support the people who work there to make good choices about the pig’s final moments.
What's a sow crate?
Crate is really just a nice word for a cage (sometimes the industry refers to them as stalls).
Sow crates are used to separately confine the pregnant sows for all or part of her pregnancy.
They are roughly the size of the sow… i.e. think of the size of a large family sized fridge. She can’t walk or even turn around.
These crates are currently being used worldwide… including the countries that NZ imports pork from… although they are gradually being banned… yippee. They are of course prohibited on a Freedom Farm.
A sow’s natural instinct is to actually build a nest when pregnant in anticipation of the arrival of her litter. We think that’s important which is why all our pregnant sows have their own shelter in a field which we fill up with straw for her. She eventually gives birth to her litter in this shelter. Nice.
What's a farrowing crate?
Really it’s another cage (sitting on a concrete floor) that the pregnant sow is moved to just prior to giving birth. She is confined in this crate whilst she gives birth and then for approximately another 3-4 weeks until her litter is weaned.
The farrowing crate is probited by Freedom Farms.
This crate means the sow is unable to move about or even turn around. She is unable to instinctively mother her piglets.
We think she deserves to be able to live in a straw shelter just like in the wild. Give birth naturally in this “nest” and be able to mother her piggies in an unresticted environment.
Nice.
Why do we say 'no pens'?
Heaps of people know about those sow crates and farrowing crates now… and that’s a good thing. Good riddance to them we say and we are sure the sows out there will be thrilled to know people are finally getting on to it.
But for us it’s not only about the breeding mums… it’s also about where the pig we turn into bacon actually live? Sadly for them, the majority live their entire lives crowded into wee small concrete pens inside a big artificially lit shed. The industry calls them ‘concrete fattening pens’. We call them something else.
We reckon it’s a miserable existence and we reckon deep straw shelters are a far better way.
For us it’s about piggy being able to do ‘piggy things’. Having the space to run about, digging in the straw, enjoying some fresh air and some sunlight.
That’s why we harp on about those concrete fattening pens.
Hey… are we perfect? Of course not… we can always do better – which is why we feel so fortunate to be working with a group of farmers who care a lot about enrichment and keeping the growing pigs occupied doing piggy things.
What's the story with the PigCare™ logo... why isn't that on Freedom Farms pork?
PigCare™ is an industry accreditation standard that was developed by NZ Pork. It tells you that the pork you are buying was born and raised in New Zealand – and that it meets the standards set out in the law… so things like no sow (gestation) crates, which are welfare standards that are now legal requirements in New Zealand.
Those are things that set local farmers apart from many international counterparts – we LOVE that the local industry is doing the mahi to help farmers make their pork more easily identifiable.
But there are still practices in the minimum standards in New Zealand that don’t match our values – things like using farrowing crates or farming pigs indoors without enrichment such as straw in the pens – are allowed here.
We work with a group of South Canterbury farmers who have moved on from these practices. We want to make it easy for you to find and support these food producers, which is why Freedom Farms exists in the first place!
So we don’t use the PigCare logo on our packs… we use our own. We have our own independent auditors who check the farms operate in a way we feel *great* about – and thats what you’ll find with our sunny yellow logo on it!
Pork Foodie Questions
What's with the water in ham and bacon?
Well it’s normal to have water in the brine used to cure the ham or bacon (in fact – a wet brine is better for creating those delightful crispity crunchity edges).
The alternative is a dry brine where the meat is snuggled in a mix of curing salts and sugar for a period of time.
Trick is though, the more water you put in, the cheaper you can make the stuff – and this can be exploited by unscrupulous operators. As a rule of thumb, if you can make the pack ‘squelch’ when you squeeze it… something tricky is going on.
How do I store a ham?
In a ham bag is best.
If you don’t have a ham bag… you can use a clean pillow slip (take out the pillow first).
First mix a tablespoon of vinegar with water and soak the bag… it only needs to be damp. Then pop in your ham and keep it in the fridge.
Repeat the process every 5 days or so.
Can I freeze my bacon or ham?
Sure you can. But it is actually better if you can avoid it as it tends to thaw out wetter than before you put it in… because the cells ‘pop’ as they expand when freezing.
If you do freeze a ham, defrost it in the fridge over a couple of days… and then give it a bit of extra time in the oven when you’re glazing it.
How do I do a perfect pork roast... and cooking times?
We reckon the guru on roasting is Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall.
His ideas are you always start with a “half hour sizzle’ then turn it down. He goes into huge depth on the reasons why in his book The River Cottage Meat Book… if you are interested.
It works…
So to quote Hugh it’s like this…
– Heat the oven up to 220oC
– Roast your cut for 20 min (up to 2 kg)… 30 min(over 2kg)… 45 min(over 3 kg)… this is called the “sizzle”.
– Turn down oven to 160oC
– Then roast for 25 min per 500g… for whole fillet, whole scotch, rolled leg
…or 30 min for belly, shoulder, bone in leg and loin roasts.
– Remove and rest for 10 mins before carving.
You do not have to overcook pork… treat it like beef and its best medium really… it’s not like chicken. Juices just need to run clear.
What about sodium nitrates? Do you use them?
Yip, we do use a very small amount of sodium nitrate and nitrite in our bacon and ham.
The nitrates conversation is something we’ve been grappling with since Freedom Farms started 12 years ago, and we’re aware it’s had quite a bit of media coverage recently. The research has been around since the 1970s, but the arguments are still really complicated and the pros and cons far from clear. For a bit of background on the ‘expert’ position… click here to see what Food Standards Australia NZ have to say.
We did offer a preservative free bacon for a while, but it was a very slow seller and the supermarkets all dropped it eventually. But we’re still open to it. We have re-started discussions with the grocery stores about developing an old-school dry cured bacon with nothing added except pork, salt, sugar and smoke… we really need them on board to make it a viable path to go down, so we’re getting that process underway.
Our view on nitrates is that there is still considerable disagreement about the relative risks and their causes. We’ve read as much as I can on both sides of the argument, we’ve spoken to food scientists in NZ, and are familiar with the work of Bee Wilson, who’s article in The Guardian has fuelled a lot of recent conversation. It’d be a wonderful thing if reducing cancer risk was as simple as just swapping out one ingredient! We reckon that what is important (and sometimes missing from these conversations) is sensible moderate consumption of bacon (and other processed meat/red meat) as a ‘treat’ food.