Young entrepreneur hopes to be "wallowing" in success with new venture

LONG has there been an enclave of British consumers that believe the animal on their plate should have lived a happy life before its untimely end.

But over the past five years the demand for free range meat products has grown significantly as reflected by the number of welfare conscious products offered by the country’s big five supermarkets and independent grocers nationwide.

Celebrity chefs have also helped the cause by championing free range and/or organic meat for its superior quality. Then there are those a little more militant in their approach such as Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall who recently ruffled the nation’s conscience with his free range v intensively reared chicken project.

Although there are still shoppers who prefer to sacrifice quality for cost supply of free range products outstrips demand. As a result, an increasing number of UK farmers, fed up with competing against European imports, are favouring traditional rearing methods over modern practice.

It’s a decision that the Longthorp-Oates family took more than 20 years ago. Since then, the family has been rearing pigs in the great outdoors on their farm near Howden in East Yorkshire.

But now 25-year-old Anna Longthorp-Oates is heading the launch of a new brand – Anna’s Happy Trotters – having spotted a gap in the market for locally produced, high welfare, free range pork. Moreover, she intends to put the family’s vast experience to good use by overseeing the entire process herself.

“People are taking more interest in where their food comes from, partly due to the influence of chefs like Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall and children are being taught about it in schools,” says the young entrepreneur.

“There has already been a huge shift towards chicken that comes from free range and grain-fed birds because of the recent publicity about the conditions in which factory farmed chickens are reared. I think that it’s important that people know where their food comes from and how it’s produced; they need to be aware that much of the meat produced abroad won’t meet the same high welfare standards that we believe are so important.”

Unlike around half of the UK’s pig population, which start their lives outdoors but end up being reared indoors, Happy Trotters pigs will spend their entire lives living outside with only a mile-and-a-half trip to the local abattoir when the final hour looms. As well as being able to wallow in mud they also have access to large tents bedded down with straw.

“Like hippos, pigs can’t cool down by sweating. So, just like in the words of the old song, pigs love to wallow in glorious mud,” laughs Longthorp-Oates.

“Whenever I get the chance, I love to head down to the fields to watch the pigs play around in the mud.”

The pigs are a carefully selected mix of old and new breeds that combine to produce the best tasting meat possible. The Landrace and Duroc cross sows produce pigs with low levels of backfat and meat that is marbled to enhance the flavour and succulence, while the Maximus boar is a muscular breed that gives lean meat and big chops. The high welfare standards and good quality of life that Happy Trotters pigs enjoy means that they are slower-growing than indoor reared pigs and this, coupled with the clever breed selection, results in a top quality, great tasting end product.

Currently the range is available from butcher’s shops in Howden and Hessle and from farmer’s markets in and around the area. Longthorp-Oates plans to increase the number of outlets she supplies and customers could soon be buying her products online.

Although she recognises that the British pig industry is struggling at the moment, she’s confident that the time is right to launch the Anna’s Happy Trotters brand.

“The industry has been going through difficult times for a while now,” she says.

“We’ve been supplying supermarkets for many years but believe they have too much power. The quality of the meat also suffers as it’s been through so many processes before it reaches the shelves. People are becoming more aware of this as well as the welfare issue.”

The former tennis coach, who recently spent four years in Australia working on a holiday farm, is optimistic about her new career choice too.

“I’ve got away several times but I keep coming back to the farm,” she jokes.

“But this is definitely what I want to focus on.”