Did you know that 75% of processed pork (ham and bacon) in Australia is imported and that the majority of the pork you find in your local supermarket has been raised in a shed? Does that make you feel ‘ikky’? The environment a pig is raised in has the biggest impact on how your meat will taste. Pigs stress easily. Our pasture raised pigs are ‘as happy as pigs in mud.’ Allowing them to forage in chemical free fields is absolutely the secret to superior pork.
Our sweet, juicy pork is testament to the quality of life our piggies have. Using regenerative farming practises, we ensure the animals are rotated regularly and always have access to fresh grass. They will never be in the one paddock for longer than a month and the paddocks are left to rest for several months to allow the grass to regenerate. When they are not eating paddock plants and bugs, they also have access to hormone and antibiotic free protein meal and fruit scraps that are sourced from a nearby fruit farm. This no nasties environment is the secret to contented pigs and quality meat.
Recently acknowledged in the 2020 Delicious Produce Awards as the Queensland winner for pastured pork, Forage Farms is proud to be keeping company with producers who truly care about the quality of food they are delivering to the consumer. The awards are all about shining a light on produce that is grown, caught, sourced or produced with dedication, passion, knowledge and regard for the environment.
We are hugely committed to raising our animals in an ethical way and this has been endorsed with official Pasture Raised on Open Fields(PROOF) accreditation of our farming practises. Overcrowding and feed lotting is not the Forage Farms way. Pastured pork is produced in a system that ensures all pigs of all classes and ages are outdoors, not just the sows, as is the practice in 'outdoor bred systems'.
Even the birthing process is managed so that it is a close to nature as possible. We provide the sows with hay to make a nest and don’t intervene or lock them up. When it is getting very close, we put them into a separate area and leave them to raise their piglets for a few weeks before we move them.
The taste of our meat can also be attributed to the diverse gene pool of our pigs. With a mix of Berkshire, Duroc and Large White we are able to breed pigs that are suited to our environment. For example, combining the reddish coat of the Duroc with a Large White makes an animal that is better suited to the harsh summer heat; and introducing the Berkshires (the ‘Wagyu’ of pigs) with their tasty fat content helps to create the uniquely flavoured Forage Farms pork, ham and bacon.
We are truly proud that we can produce beautiful, fresh produce that is 100% nasties free, without artificial fertilisers and chemicals so that we can ensure the best for the animals, for the consumer and the environment.
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