THE OTWAY PORK™ STORY...
How It Began
In 1992, we formed a company to establish a free range breeding herd to produce pigs in a natural, outdoor environment where the welfare of the pig was paramount. That company, The Pastoral Pork Company, is now Australia’s largest outdoor pig producer, and we are proud to be the first pig producer to achieve national accreditation under the RSPCA Approved Farming Scheme.
In 2001, we began to sell our tasty, tender pork through selected Melbourne butcher shops under our Otway Pork brand. Today we have expanded our farms to meet increasing demand, and Otway Pork is now available in butcher shops and supermarkets in Victoria, NSW, South Australia and the ACT.
Bred Free Range
Otway Pork pigs are bred outdoors at our farms near the Otway Ranges in South Western Victoria and at Edenhope near the South Australian border. Our parent pigs are free to roam around their paddocks, wallow in their mud baths and shelter in purpose-built open huts. As the mother sow approaches the time to give birth, she is moved to another paddock where she has access to her own insulated, straw-based hut in which she can follow her nesting instincts and have her litter in a quiet natural environment.
Once the litter is born, Otway piglets stay in their hut for protection from predators. As they grow, they venture out from their huts and are free to play, forage and socialise in open paddocks. At about four weeks of age, Otway piglets are weaned from their mothers and are moved to large straw-based shelters to protect them from the elements (in particular, the sun and heat). In the shelters, Otway pigs continue to be free to move about and socialise, and they have access at all times to clean drinking water, a healthy grain-based diet, bedding and good stock care.
All Natural
Otway Pork pigs are fed a natural grain-based diet free from added growth hormones and in-feed antibiotics. They are selected for their suitability to outdoor breeding conditions, and for their superior meat quality characteristics including leanness, tenderness and colour. This means you can be assured that what you are eating is all natural and you can enjoy that natural flavour.
RSPCA Accreditation
The welfare of our pigs has always been paramount. We do not crate or cage Otway pigs, we don’t dock their tails, and we don’t use nose rings – these are all important in keeping pigs free from pain and discomfort. Otway Pork was also the first pig producer in Australia to adopt the RSPCA Approved Farming Scheme. This scheme is based on a set principles established by the RSPCA known as the “five freedoms”:
- Freedom from hunger and thirst
- Freedom from discomfort
- Freedom from pain
- Freedom to express normal behavior
- Freedom from fear and distress.
We are subject to regular farm audits by RSPCA assessors to ensure our compliance to the standards.
Otway Pork is produced to RSPCA standards
For all creatures great and small. The RSPCA Paw of Approval indicates a high standard of animal welfare: www.rspca.org.au
