Gloucestershire Old Spots

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The Gloucestershire Old Spots (also "Gloucester, Gloucester Old Spot, Goucestershire Old Spot"[2]or simply "Old Spots"[3]) is an English breed of pig which is predominantly white with black spots. It is named after the county of Gloucestershire.

The Old Spots was once a very popular breed of pig. 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 Old Spots, have increasingly been chosen by farmers looking to add value to their products.

The Old Spots is sometimes known as the "Orchard Pig" as they were traditionally pastured in orchards where they ate drop apples.[4] 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 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 than breeds that are more popular commercially.

Old Spots tend to be very calm, good natured animals, another trait that makes them desirable 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 [5] meaning there are fewer than 200 annual registrations in the United States and estimated fewer than 2000 global population. In the UK the Old Spots is listed as "Category 5, Minority" by the Rare Breeds Survival Trust as there are fewer than 1000 registered breeding females. ^[1][6].

An application has been made to gain European Commission Traditional Speciality Guaranteed (TSG) status for Old Spots pig meat.^[2]

[edit] Further reading

• José Souto and Pat Carey, Which pig?, in Caterer & Hotelkeeper March 2, 2006 accessed at [7] July 25, 2006 - review of Gloucester Old Spot versus commercial pork

[edit] References