Ethical Farming | The Piggy Approach

Our main objective at Piggy in the Middle is to always employ ethical farming principles and practices. Primarily, this applies to the way we treat our animals and the land that we farm. Naturally, this approach also relates to our valued customers, who can be totally confident in the quality of our product, and the careful, natural way in which it has been produced.

As regenerative farmers we utilise farm management systems to improve our land. This involves using our animals to graze in the same way that animals do naturally. Eating and foraging in one area, before moving on to another, fertilising, aerating and improving the topsoil as they go.

Essentially, we provide our animals with the best life possible: to use our animals to improve the condition of the land that we farm. And to produce chemical free products that are of the highest quality. Proteins that are better for you nutritionally, and that have great natural flavours.

Certainly, using ethical farming practices is more difficult and labour intensive than conventional farming. It is however, more satisfying and produces a much better product and environmental outcome. And we love it.

The Piggy Family

Dean and Kate both grew up in central Queensland where they inherited many generations of farming knowledge. But also, a love for the country and its animals, for family and the rural way of life.

Food allergies prompted Dean and Kate to question the food that their young family consumed. Because of his interest in heritage breed pigs and his background in butchery, Dean began to produce healthier alternatives for their family. His chemical, nitrate and gluten free meats and small goods were soon in demand with extended family and friends.

The Next Generation

Our children play an integral part in life on Piggy in the Middle farms (just as we did, growing up on ours).

From an early age our kids are involved in the feeding, watering and moving of our livestock. They gather and pack eggs with remarkably few breakages. They help at birthing time, and are especially good at cuddling the farm babies – newborn piglets and those cute as lambs.

The older kids have skills many children would envy. Driving tractors and quad bikes. Help in the butcher house (especially making sausages) and instructing their dads’ on how to serve our customers at the markets.

Importantly, they have a real appreciation for life and death on the farm, and a respect for the contribution our animals make to feeding themselves, and others also.

From Our Farm To You