British Landrace Pigs
The British Landrace is a new addition to our herd. We took possession of a boar and three gilts in March 2011. The BPA survey in 2013 suggests there are 463 sows (2011 - 671 sows), but only 308 of these are being bred pure and more worrying for the breed is that there are only 26 (2011 - 19) breeders. The majority of the breed resides in Northern Ireland. In 2015 the RBST recognised its precarious state and it now appears on their watchlist.
The British Landrace is a relatively new breed, and is classed as a modern breed. They are fast growing, producing good daily live weight gain with a high lean meat content. The sows have good mothering abilities, producing and rearing large litters of piglets.
History of the British Landrace Pig
The first Landrace pigs were imported into Britain from Sweden in 1949 (4 boars and 8 gilts) with other imports to follow from 1953 onwards, these came into Northern Ireland, the Isle of Man and the Channel Islands.
The British Landrace Pig Society was formed to create a herd book for the first offspring born 1950, from the 1949 importation, and an evaluation scheme was created, with the first Pig Testing Scheme for daily gain and fat depths, a testing station was built at Stockton-on-Forest, York. This was a first example of pig testing in the UK, and a testament to the foresight of the founder members of the Society, as to the future needs in commercial and pedigree pig production.
The British Landrace Pig Society joined forces with NPBA now the British Pig Association in 1978.
New bloodlines were imported from Norway in the 1980s and some new bloodlines into Northern Ireland from Finland and more recently from Norway.
The British Landrace is a very versatile breed, performing well under either indoor or outdoor systems of management. Sows have the ability to produce and rear large litters of piglets with very good daily gain and high lean meat content, in a superbly fleshed carcase, which is ideal for either fresh pork or bacon production.
Over 90% of hybrid gilt production in Western Europe and North America uses Landrace bloodlines as the foundation for the profitable production of quality pigmeat.