I love bacon... but I also love pigs.

It's bacon week! I LOVE bacon! It's definitely one of the number of reasons I could never be completely vegetarian. The delicious salty flavour enhances so many different dishes, its delicious on it's own or in a sandwich, with eggs... we all KNOW it's awesome.

However I also love pigs... they are super cute, super smart and unfortunately exceptionally mistreated.

Did you know sow stall pigs can spend their whole lives cramped in a tiny space, unable to turn around? I'm not here to guilt you, but the decisions we make at the butcher and the supermarket can definitely help to move the meat industry forward into a far more humane way of farming.

I was in the supermarket the other day to purchase some bacon for our caesar salad we had last night. The first supermarket I was in (I visited two as the first one did not have free range), have made a lot of noise recently about making the decision for their own branded pork to be "sow stall free". While this is a step in the right direction, it still means the life of the pig up until it becomes your dinner, isn't exactly pleasant.

This is what the RSPCA website says about Sow Stall Free Pigs:

"The term 'sow-stall free' is used to differentiate pork product from pigs that have been born to sows in group housing. The pig industry defines 'sow-stall free' as a system where a sow may have been kept in a stall for up to 5 days following last mating up to one week before farrowing; however, other definitions allow only one day in a stall. These stalls are called 'mating stalls', are very similar to a sow stall, and are used at mating to prevent aggression between sows and hence potential injury or abortion. Following this period of confinement, the sow is housed in groups with other pregnant sows."

What this doesn't mention is that the mother pig is kept in this stall, for 6 weeks whilst feeding her piglets, twice a year. The piglets, when weaned from their mothers, are then kept in small indoor pens, on concrete floors, in a shed until they reach the right weight for slaughter.

Here's a tricky one... what is the difference between Bred Free Range and Free Range?? This got me, while I was standing staring at the bacon for a considerable length of time. In the past I know that I have grabbed Bred Free Range, in fact the brand of bacon that I always buy has those words on it! So what's the difference?

"‘Bred free range’ is a term used to apply to pig products (pork, bacon, etc) from pigs that were born in a free-range environment but were subsequently raised indoors. These pigs may be raised in large open sheds with straw bedding (known as ecoshelters) or in small pens on concrete floors as in conventional pig farming systems.

The RSPCA Approved Farming Scheme requires that pork marketed as RSPCA ‘bred free-range’ comes from farms where sows and boars range freely outside, piglets are born outside on the range and, once weaned, are raised in ecoshelters with straw bedding."

So it's defiantly a better life than living in a stall for the mumma and pappa pigs, Not so great still for the bacon, I mean piglets!!

"Free-range pork comes from pigs that were born and raised with free access to the outdoors. That is, where the sows and growing piglets have access to paddocks, as well as huts or other forms of housing for shelter, and are not confined to sow stalls (for pregnant sows) or farrowing crates (for lactating sows and their piglets).

The RSPCA Approved Farming Scheme requires that pigs live in a well-managed outdoor system, or within enhanced indoor environments that cater for all their behavioural and physiological needs, or a combination of both (referred to as 'bred free range'). You would not see sow stalls or farrowing crates on an RSPCA Approved pig farm. All pigs are reared, handled and transported with consideration and care and then slaughtered humanely."

Free Range life sounds alright to me! Surely a happier more carefree existence means nicer tasting meat? Ever had bacon from a family farmed pig? Its delicious. Way more delicious than normal. Incredible.

I know there is a cost factor... anything Free Range is going to cost more than something pumped out in factory like conditions, but you have to consider that these pigs give their life so you can eat that scrumptious bacon sandwich.

The more people choose the free range options at the register, the bigger the message it sends to the farmers that we won't accept second best, and that we want to see Farm Animals treated with respect!

Let's celebrate Bacon Week, with delicious Free Range Bacon. The pigs, and your taste buds will thank you for it!

Happy Cooking (from Scratch!)

Erica xx

For further reading check out the RSPCA website and Humane Choice