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One of the first pig farmers in Australia to be certified as free-range is hanging up the boots.

Peter Bradford and his wife Cathy have been farming in Boyup Brook, in Western Australia's south-west, for the past 40 years.

They were among the first people in Australia to be accredited under the Australian Pork Industry Quality program (APIQ).

APIQ was introduced in 2010 as a way of including all previous quality assurance labels — such as the 1997-introduced pork industry quality program and the 2004-introduced PigPass label — under one brand.

It also introduced the first free-range standards for pig production, along with certifications for indoor and outdoor-bred pig production.

Mr Bradford said becoming free-range certified had made a huge financial difference to his business.

"For us, it's a very good marketing tool, and essentially that's what it's all about," he said.

"Probably 20 years ago it wouldn't have mattered a heap because there wasn't the emphasis on how things were raised or how stuff was grown in those days."

Up until APIQ introduced the certification, there was no official standard for what constituted free-range.

Mr Bradford said they had decided to leave the industry simply because of age. "It's a lot of work, a lot of very hard work, but it's also been very rewarding and a lot of fun," he said. "Pigs are very enjoyable animals to work with, but as I say it's just the work that's getting beyond us."

 

Bradfords offer advice to new operation

Mr Bradford's knowledge of the pig industry will not be completely lost.

As he shuts shop on his operation, a new pig farm 60km down the road in Manjimup is looking to mirror the Bradfords' farm.

Owner of the new pig farm, Bryan Hickman, said the Bradfords' exit had influenced his business strategy.

"It was entirely coincidental. I was actually thinking of going into a slightly more intensive line of outdoor pigs, but the local vet in Manjimup told me about Peter Bradford," he said.

 

"I phoned him up and said can I come and have a look, he said no problem, so I went and had a look and thought this would actually work in well for me in the next couple of years while I'm transitioning from one to another."

Mr Hickman said the Bradfords had also been helping him with his operation, offering advice when he ran into issues.

He is running about 140 young pigs, with plans to build the operation up to a more commercial size over the next couple of years.

"In another two to three weeks I'll be selling some of my first porkers to some of the butcher shops that Peter has been selling to for quite a long time now," he said.

 

Source: http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-02-22/first-free-range-pig-farmer-leaves-industry/8289456

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