We have been farming for many generations and firmly believe organic methods produce the best quality meat with a delicious flavour - but they are also the best choice for the animals and for the beautiful countryside that we hold in trust for future generations.
Our meat is certified as organic by the Soil Association. This means avoiding the use of synthetic pesticides, never using GM feed and only using antibiotics when the animals are actually ill.
Welfare is paramount to us. All our animals are free range and can express their natural behaviour by foraging and grazing outside.
To minimise stress, we don't wean our young animals from their mother until they are ready. Conventional pig farmers usually wean piglets at three weeks for a quick return, but we leave our piglets until they are 8 weeks old - the age they would leave the sow in the wild.
Stress is a major cause of illness in animals, but at Childhay our animals are so relaxed, they rarely fall ill. When necessary, we use homeopathic remedies such as mint udder salves and only use antibiotics when the animals are ill. There is no castration, ringing, teeth clipping or tail docking, and any medication that is used must have twice the normal withdrawal period to be absolutely sure that traces don't remain in the meat.
Organic farming methods don't just produce great tasting food. They are widely recognised for benefiting the countryside and supporting traditional farmland wildlife - from butterflies to flowers. Wildlife-friendly practices include leaving a wide border around fields to encourage natural predators and only cutting hedges every two years and at a time of year when birds aren't nesting.
Organic farmers avoid the use of synthetic pesticides and fertilisers. Conventional farmers often use chemical nitrate fertilisers to encourage the pastures to grow, but when it rains much of the nitrates are washed into local watercourses. This can result in excessive growth of algae which poisons the water. Organic farmers grow clover to create nitrates naturally. |
