richardbenson.com

LIKE STARS moving centre stage, these pigs sidled into a spotlight of sunshine, as Kevin fired the shutter. “Those pigs,” he declared triumphantly, ”could go places!” The pigs are Berkshire sows – mothers who were due to have some piglets in a few months. When their piglets grow, they will live on the farm for a while, and eventually be killed for bacon. Their mother will have more pigs after them, so she sticks around – it tends to be the breeding stock like this that the farmer and family may give a name to. The straw she has as bedding is from barley harvested in the summer. Other materials that can be used for bedding include wood shavings and shredded paper from offices. Note that despite pigs’ reputation for dirtiness, they keep a clear distinction between the mucky and the clean bits; she will sleep only on the clean, and maybe use the muck for wallowing in in hot weather. We hear that they continues to resist the lure of showbusiness•