Gloucester Old Spot
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The Gloucester Old Spot (or Gloucestershire Old Spot) is an English breed of pig which is predominantly white with black spots. It is named after the county of Gloucestershire.
The Gloucester Old Spot is a very popular breed. With the advent of intensive farming, certain lean, pale, high-yield breeds were chosen to suit the factory conditions and needs of mass-production. Many old breeds of pig died out, or were greatly diminished, in this time. However, owing to consumer pressure in the UK, and changes to the law, both attributable to an increasing awareness of, and concern about, farming conditions, pigs have been increasingly reared outdoors in the UK. In addition, more consumers are looking for quality meat, as opposed to cheap, bland meat product. In these conditions, old breeds well-suited to living outdoors, such as the Gloucester Old Spot, have increasingly been chosen by farmers looking to add value to their products.
The Old Spot is traditionally an orchard pig. They were pastured in orchards where they ate drop apples. In small scale orchard management they helped prevent pest problems arising from the drop apples. They are good foragers and survive very well in pastures without supplemental feed.
The Gloucestershire Old Spots has often been referred to as a "bacon" pig, due to the significant depth of body that provides a larger percentage of bacon per hundredweight of carcass. They often carry more fat that breeds that are more popular commercially.
Old Spots tend to be very calm, good natured animals, another trait that makes them desireable to homesteaders and small farmers. The females tend to be very devoted mothers, while the males seldom pose a threat to piglets.
This animal is currently on the "Critical" List by the American Livestock Breeds Conservancy meaning there are fewer than 200 annual registrations in the United States and estimated fewer than 2000 global population.
An application has been made to gain European Commission Traditional Speciality Guaranteed (TSG) status for Gloucestershire Old Spot pig meat.[1]
The "Gloucester Old Spot" is also the name of a public house at Piff's Elm in Gloucestershire, while Uley Brewery has both an ale and a public house (in Dursley) named "Old Spot" after the pig.
[edit] Further reading
- José Souto and Pat Carey, Which pig?, in Caterer & Hotelkeeper March 2, 2006 accessed at [2] July 25, 2006 - review of Gloucester Old Spot versus commercial pork
[edit] Notes
- ^ Written Answer given in the House of Lords, 15 Mar 2006: Column WA236 accessed at [1] July 25, 2006
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