XtraBlatt Issue 02-2020

ON-FARM
Alongside his
dairy enterprise,
farmer Johannes
Erchinger from
Logabirum in East
Friesland breeds
pigs outdoors.
means it has been in demand for centuries.
“The reason is – as with Kobe cattle – the
notably well-marbled flesh”, explains Johannes
Erchinger. The genotype of the
Berkshire boar is so dominant that its meat
characteristics are almost entirely passed
on to the offspring. They produce a quality
carcass even although the sows are from
the (much leaner) Deutsche Edelschwein
breed. In an ongoing trial, some Duroc sows
have been served by the Berkshire boars to
check if the crosses produce an even better
meat quality than that for which Durocs are
already well known.
cember 1996, Johannes Erchinger started
with 105 breeding sows and four boars.
“In the first year only cash and a lot of
labour were invested”, he recalls. While the
animals arrived in winter, the sows weren’t
served until spring, the first litters born 115
days later in summer. A 3-week rhythm
was established with batches of 30 sows
farrowing, a batch every three weeks. After
litters are weaned, the sows are served
again, and the cycle begins anew.
Now, around 200 sows and their offspring
appear to be extremely contented out on
the East Friesian grassland. One of the
sows, just before her farrowing, is busy carrying
mouthfuls of grass into her farrowing
ark, natural behaviour for sows at this
stage. “A few hours before farrowing the
sows begin to build a nest of fresh grass”,
explains the farmer. In a neighbouring ark
lie piglets born only a few hours before and
they don’t yet venture outside. But by next
day, at the latest, they’ll start discovering
their new playground out in the fresh air.
The piglets stay with mother for four to
five weeks and then they’re weaned and
spend another seven or so weeks in the
Erchinger farmyard before being shipped
off for a further 16 weeks in a feeding
enterprise. “There too, a lot of attention
is given to ensuring high welfare for the
animals”, says the pig breeder. Altogether,
the Berkshire pigs he produces take six
to eight weeks longer than pigs run on
conventional indoor systems before being
ready for slaughter.
CONTENTED
ANIMALS
Notable with these pigs is not only their
general relaxation, but also their curly
tails. “These represent a central assessment
factor for management quality”,
relates Johannes Erchinger, not without
pride. On many farms with conventional
pig production systems the tails are often
docked to stop animals injuring each
other through tail biting. This behaviour
can severely impact animal health. Biting
is often through boredom. “It’s extremely
important for us that our pigs always have
something to busy themselves with. When
they’re grouped together for the second
phase of rearing, plenty of fresh straw is
supplied daily. The animals sport around
in the bedding and also naturally chew
the straw, exercising their biting reflexes
without having to resort to biting their pen
mates.
SPECIAL QUALITY
The pig meat produced in this way is marketed
by the outlet “Handelshof” under the
label “Duke of Berkshire”, the title based on
the breed of boar used. In fact, Berkshire
pigs are claimed to be the oldest English pig
breed. The quality of meat from this breed
What exactly ensures the meat quality of a
Berkshire pig? “It’s the intramuscular fat”,
answers Johannes Erchinger. “Fat is not only
the central taste-carrier in the meat, the fat
layering within the muscle fibres also leads
to a firmer consistency. And the meat from
the Berkshire pigs gets markedly more time
in which to grow, a fact definitely reflected
in its excellent cooking characteristics. “The
meat from Berkshires does not shrink in the
pan or roasting tray”, points out the breeder.
He’s served his sows with Berkshire boars
for a few years now. Since 2015, in fact,
when the retail chain Handelshof approached
him after noticing his outdoor
management system. Handelshof offered
to market his complete output. The retailer
had a request, however: that the boar breed
be always Berkshire. However not every
slaughter pig is marketed through the retail
chain. Around 2 % of output goes to a neighbouring
slaughter facility in the village of
Weener. There too, the meat from the sow
herd on pasture is greatly appreciated.
Johannes Erchinger certainly doesn’t regret
his decision to start producing from outdoor
pigs. From the financial point of view, the
pigs provide a dependable second income
for the farm. On top of this, working with
the animals gives this East Friesian farmer
great pleasure. There’s no mistaking this
when watching him step into the sow
pasture with his feed bucket. «
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1 Lots of room for pigs on pasture: This
bird’s eye view emphasises the wide-open
spaces available.
2 A very welcome visit: When Johannes
Erchinger comes with the feed bucket,
he’s immediately surrounded by his sows.
3 Grassland farming in East Friesland:
Johannes Erchinger runs his dairy farm in
the 5th generation.
4 Active preparation for farrowing: Pastured
sows collect grass for nest-building.
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