About us
OUR FARM SHOP
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The Farm is situated at the foot of the Wolds between Scarborough and Malton. The farm is on the same site as the farm shop.
At Gladvic Farm, we farm around 70 acres, half of this land is taken up by our herd of free range pigs. The rest of the land is for arable crops, corn and root vegetables in rotation with the pigs. The land is very sandy, resembling a beach at some times of the year. This makes it ideal for free range pigs, as the land drains away freely and does not flood or become too muddy!
The Breed
We have a herd of Landrace x Duroc sows, which we then cross to a Hampshire boar. This winning combination gives a productive and caring mother, which is hardy enough for outdoor living, with an excellent carcass confirmation, and superb cooking and eating quality. The pigs have just the right amount of fat cover without the extremes that you get with most rare breeds. We currently have 100 breeding sows, and somewhere in the region of 500 piglets of all different sizes.
The System
The sows spend most of their time in groups of about 10. They are kept on a radial paddock system, this looks like a dartboard if you look from above. Each paddock leads to a central area (the bull’s eye) this enables easy movement of pigs around the farm. When they farrow (give birth) each sow is given its own hut, and paddock. Here they give birth to the piglets, and raise those piglets for six weeks. The piglets can leave the paddock under the fences, and can often be seen running around in big groups with their neighbours. They always return home, for mealtimes, and bed.
Once the piglets are weaned, (taken away from the mother), they move to our free range finishing system. This is what makes us and the pigs special. The piglets are grouped into batches of around 30, and will stay in these groups right through the system. They start in a nursery unit, in large huts with big runs on them. They soon move forward into the larger huts with bigger open paddocks to run around in. This freedom, space, and natural way of life that the pigs have, is important to us, and helps to create the great tasting meat that you buy. With the added reassurance that the pigs have had the best life possible.
BEWARE – Outdoor Reared, Outdoor Raised, Outdoor Bred is not the same as Free Range. Most of these other pigs only spend a certain period of their life outside, the rest is in some form of indoor unit. Always look for FREE RANGE PORK!!
The business was founded in 1998 by Paul Bradbury & Jonathan Cooper. It originally started as an outdoor breeding herd on tenanted land at Potter Brompton, near Scarborough.
Award winning Sausages and Pies
ALL MADE ON SITE FRESH EVERY DAY
Paul is proud to show off his awards, for his winning range of sausages, (all made with our own pork). There are usually 11 flavours on sale plus a sausage of the week, check out Facebook for this week’s flavour. He can make hundreds of sausages a day! See our Facebook page!
Free to roam in the sunshine
Animal welfare is our top priority
The farm produced free range piglets that were sold to a neighbouring farmer who reared the piglets in straw yards to sell to a processor. We started with 700 breeding sows.
After a few years we started to rear the piglets ourselves on an outdoor system, meaning the pigs then spent their entire lives in an outdoor environment.
Free to run around the paddock
FREE TO ROAM IN THE FIELDS
They start in a nursery unit, in large huts with big runs on them. They soon move forward into the larger huts with bigger open paddocks to run around in. This freedom, space, and natural way of life that the pigs have, is important to us, and helps to create the great tasting meat that you buy. With the added reassurance that the pigs have had the best life possible.
