Herd health support offered by Menter Moch Cymru is helping a West Glamorgan pig farming business achieve its pig health and welfare goals.
Suzy Williams confesses to being “obsessed’’ about the health and wellbeing of the herd of pigs she farms with her husband, Martyn, and sons, Logan and Ben, adopting a ‘gold standard’ approach to both.
The couple had been working in non-farming jobs when they had their first introduction to rearing pigs.
“We helped a friend who was setting up a farm diversification and in exchange for that she gave us a couple of pigs, so we reared those and sold the meat to family and friends,’’ Suzy recalls.
And so the seeds of her passion for pigs were sown, resulting in the couple giving up their jobs to concentrate on breeding and rearing pigs as a full-time business on their smallholding at Pontardulais.
They now have 100 Welsh pigs and sell meat through their business.
From the moment they established the herd, the couple have placed great emphasis on the health status of their pigs. An annual Herd Health Plan, fully funded by Menter Moch Cymru and delivered by the Williams’ farm vet, The George Vet Group, has played an important role in that.
“We have a really good relationship with our farm vet so it has been fantastic that the Menter Moch Cymru scheme allows us to work with her because she already knows our herd,’’ says Suzy.
Regular, active health planning is the most cost-effective way to reduce disease and improve welfare, she adds.
The Menter Moch Cymru resource, which they have had access to for three years, was more valuable than ever during the pandemic. At that time their sales outlets in the food service sector disappeared overnight and their budget was stretched.
“It gave us peace of mind to know that the funding for the herd health plan was covered,’’ Suzy admits.
Training webinars run by Menter Moch Cymru have been an invaluable source of information.
They have attended 26 sessions on a range of topics. These have not only increased the couple’s knowledge of pig health, husbandry and management but have provided a platform for them to ask questions.
“They are a safe place to raise queries on things you are not confident about, things that I might be unsure about sticking my hand up to ask if I was in a meeting with a room full of people,’’ says Suzy.
“For example, we have been doing AI for a number of years but there were a lot of things that I was unsure of so it was brilliant to have a webinar on this subject and an opportunity to ask questions without fear of judgment.’’
Practical training delivered by Menter Moch Cymru on butchery and processing helped the couple take the business forward.
Butchery was previously carried out at the abattoir where the pigs are processed but since receiving the training in 2017, Martyn does this with help more recently from 19-year-old Logan.
“We have always made our own sausages and bacon but we brought everything in-house because it gives us more options on what we do with the carcass, to add value to it,’’ Suzy explains.
“We can guarantee provenance and quality from start to finish.’’
Costs are also reduced as they no longer need to pay for this service.
The couple are in the process of securing a £750 grant from Menter Moch Cymru for marketing support as much of their sales are generated through their online shop and local delivery service.
As part of this, they have had a business plan developed too.
“Martyn is ‘Captain Clipboard’, he is obsessed with spreadsheets, but help with a business plan has been very useful,’’ says Suzy.
Pig farming has been a “massive learning curve’’ but immensely satisfying, she adds.
“We thought it was a ‘pie in the sky’ dream, that we could do this for a living, and whilst it may not be the most lucrative of ways to earn a living the lights are on and there is food on the table.
“I remember hearing someone say that you should enjoy every day as if it is your last and for us every day brings enjoyment and new experiences, and for that we are grateful.’’
The Menter Moch Cymru project is funded by the Welsh Government Rural Communities – Rural Development Programme 2014 -2020, which is funded by the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development and the Welsh Government.