IT is important not to forget why you're keeping your pigs. They aren't pets. They aren't part of the family. While you have had them they should have had everything they needed for a happy healthy life, they should have been properly cared for, free from stress and treated with respect. But the whole point of all the time, effort and let's face it, money, that you and your family have invested in them is to produce first class meat. So I would really advise against getting emotionally attached to them, otherwise you're going to find taking them off to the butcher just too traumatic. In our house nothing that's going to end up in the freezer gets given a name.

That goes for pigs, sheep and even chickens. It may sound silly but it's a very simple way of instilling that necessary distinction and means that no-one ever loses sight of the end product.

So how do you decide when the pigs have reached pork weight ? Well, the books will tell you that a pork pig weighs 140 lbs (63.6 Kg) but as it's very unlikely that most people will have a weighing crate handy there needs to be another way. It is possible to get an approximate weight by measuring the diameter and length of your pig and doing a few sums. It goes like this: First measure the diameter of the pig, around the body just behind the front legs (this is the girth). Then measure the length of the pig from the base of its ears to the base of its tail. I'd suggest using a piece of string and then measuring that in inches, rather than trying to run a tape measure over a pig. Next, square the girth, multiply the result of that by the length. Finally divide by 400. The answer is approximately the weight of your pig in pounds. Alternatively, if the breeder you bought your weaners from has kept any of the litter, it doesn't hurt to ask to go and see what they look like as they reach pork weight. At least it gives you a point of comparison for your own stock. And of course they don't have to be exactly 140 lbs, heavier or lighter it is up to you to take them to the size and weight that you feel is right.

Before the desired weight is reached though, you need to have done your homework and made the necessary plans and arrangements. Firstly you need to find an abattoir or slaughterhouse. These days that isn't as easy as it may seem, many smaller ones have closed and the larger more industrial plant may prove reluctant to take just the odd couple of pigs. But there are in the region of 450 slaughterhouses operating today so there will probably be a suitable place reasonably near to most parts of the country. If you don't have a neighbour in the know, talk to your local smallholders group or try the breeder the pigs came from again. Once you have somewhere, contact them and find out exactly what they do - by this I mean: do they slaughter and dress the carcass only. or would they butcher the carcass to your requirements and even make sausages too ? You must ask. Most small slaughterhouses will be prepared to cut up a carcass but as the staff may not be trained butchers the results may be more rough and ready than you wanted. Of course if you want to do the job yourself that's another matter but before tackling it for the first time you need to consider that 2 porkers represent an awful lot of meat. Personally, I take mine in to a family run slaughterhouse about 15 miles from home, which also has a farm shop with trained butchers on site. They do exactly what I want and even make me a load of sausages. Of course I have to pay for the privilege but I believe I pay a fair price for a skilled job that I don't have the facilities, time or training to do myself.

The other option is to take (or have taken) the dressed carcasses to a butcher, direct from the abattoir. In this case you'll need to make sure the butcher can accommodate you a few days after the slaughterhouse. I find that it's probably best to work backwards when I do this (with lambs) as my butcher has less capacity than the slaughterhouse, so getting my animals into her diary is harder than getting them booked in for slaughter. In any event you must work out beforehand how you want the carcasses butchered. Do you want chops ? Do you want boned & rolled loin ? What about the shoulder meat ? (I like shoulder boned & rolled as a roasting joint - excellent). If in doubt do some research, think about what you usually eat and discuss it with your expert - the butcher. If you've taken a lot of time and trouble to produce prime animals for your own consumption, I believe that you have every right to have them prepared exactly how you want and in my experience, butchers are only too happy to help you and are prepared to do what you require.

Once you have somewhere you're happy with, book the pigs in and agree dates with everyone concerned. Both for your delivery of the porkers, and your collection of the end product. Most small abattoirs will have a set day when they slaughter pigs and they'll need your animals there very early that day. It's always worth asking if you could drop them off the previous afternoon or evening if that's more convenient to you. It means that you're not rushing about in the half light trying to do something out of the ordinary, that could disturb the pigs and you'll all arrive stressed and upset. Arriving calmly at a nice quiet place is always better.

The final thing to consider is transport. In my last article I talked about loading porkers and how it's very easy to train them to load without fuss. Of all the times that you need them to go into the trailer easily, this is by far the most important. So please take some time beforehand to get them used to the routine. However a very important thing to remember is that pigs can suffer from travel sickness - don't let them have a full feed before you hitch up and drive off. Give them a small amount to get them into the trailer and keep them interested while you shut the door and (if they're going to be in the lairage overnight) save the rest until you get to the other end. Remember that before taking your pigs to slaughter they must have been marked (see my article in the April Smallholder) and also that you must take a Movement Licence with you.

Now you should be all set. Next month I'll be describing what happens when you get to the slaughterhouse and what meat you should expect to get back.