Colac pig farmers produce slowgrowing pork of heritage breeds

In Xavier Meade from Barongarook Pork had begun Meat Crew, an artisan butcher and meat processing facility, which grew significantly in demand within it's first few years of operation.

As a result of it's immense growth, Mr Meade decided to spend more time on his new business, and less time with his pig farm, so was looking for a local family to re-home some of his Berkshire and Duroc pigs, with hopes to still process them locally.

Mr Burns at the same was leaving the commercial pig industry, despite having the facilities to keep pigs out of the sun and prevent damage, it was becoming more difficult with grain prices rising and commercial pig profits staying the same.

He started with 70 sows and purchased another 29 from Mr Meade, but now he has a herd of about 360 pigs as they continue to grow their numbers.

When he first began with pigs, Mr Burns had recently graduated high school and grew potatoes, he thought a herd of pigs would help clean up the scraps would build a great symbiotic farming environment.

"So I had six sows to begin with, white ones" Mr Burns said.

With a preference for free-range, slow grown pork, he believed the flavour was a deeper quality with the breeds he ran.

He has between eight to 16 pigs processed per week from his farm, which are sent to Diamond Valley Pork in Melbourne for slaughter, then to Mr Meade at Meat Crew who carves, packages and on-sells the produce.

Ms Burns believes that the particular type of breed has a better eating meat, and has a fattier consistency, as well as being happy free-range pig.

"They get to do what they want to do, they get to be pigs, they're free range and do what they want to do, they can get dirty and wet and be out in the paddock," Ms Burns said.