“From field to fork, from pasture to plate - tracking your food every step of the way”

How long does the adoption last for?

On average the adoption lasts for about 5-6 months. Most people adopt-a-pig aged 8 weeks old, when it is still the size of a puppy. D-Day is when the pig is about 7 months old.

Can I give this as a present?

Sure - no problem! Adopting is very popular at Christmas time and for birthdays as it makes a particularly original gift. We will send you a full photo pack with information about the process for you to give them, alongside your voucher.

Can we share the pig with other people?

Absolutely! Many people share their adopted pig with other families, or even have it as a corporate pig to share out between colleagues.

Can I pay by credit card?

Unfortunately we cannot accept payment by card. We only accept cheques or cash.

We live very far away from you - can we make a weekend of the visit?

This is the case for many people - we currently have customers in London and in Scotland, so for them it is a long journey. We can recommend local hotels and restaurants where you can stay, and advise of a good day out in the historic city of York.

Do you have pigs available for adoption throughout the year?

Yes. If there is not a pig available due to high demand then we put you on the waiting list and advise you as soon as we have a litter of piglets from which you can choose your porcine friend.

Do we have to visit? If we do decide to visit, can we bring the family?

No - about half of all people adopting visit. As for bringing family, that is alright also. Past visitors have aged from 2 to 101.

Why does the meat taste better than supermarket meats?

The reason is simple. Unlike most of the supermarket meats, our pigs are fed additive free foods, which contain no growth promoters, extra salt or chemicals. This means the pigs enjoy a 100% natural diet, supplemented by home-grown apples and locally sourced barley. The combination of this and the fact all the pigs live outdoors means that the finished product is more juicy, succulent and tasty than intensively grown pigs. Whereas cheap supermarket bacon will shrivel in the pan, our home-cured bacon will retain all of its shape, size and flavour. That’s a promise!

Why is Yorkshire Meats not organic?

We believe that in some cases organics is beneficial, for example in buying vegetables that have been sprayed. Unlike vegetables, meat is not sprayed by harmful chemicals. To be organic, Yorkshire Meats would be subject to expensive soil tests, restricted movement and bound by stringent rules from the Soil Association, which would mean extra costs. These unnecessary costs would then be passed on to the consumer, YOU! We feel that as long as our feeds contain no harmful chemicals, then we are happy, as are our customers. If we were organic then we couldn’t use a medicine to remove worms from the pigs. You wouldn’t deny your children vital medicines, so why should we not extend this care to our pigs? In short, organics would not improve the taste of our products, but would increase prices and reduce the quality of life for our pigs.

Why do you use such a rare breed as meat?

With the Oxford Sandy and Black breed, there are only 13 female and 4 male breedlines. In a typical litter, only about 15% of the piglets will be pedigree. This means only one or two will have the necessary breed characteristics to be a registered pig. To be registrable, the pig must have lop ears, splodges of black not spots, a white blaze, and have the right colouring. The remaining 85% may have one prick ear or too much black or something which means that the pig doesn’t comply with breed standards. These pigs are still perfectly normal and serve to increase the interest in this amazing breed and ultimately end up as delicious products on your plate, a more healthy alternative to intensively farmed products.