Simon needs you & here's why

During my recent visit to our free-range Pig Farmer – Simon Price, I was really eager to hear him speak about the difference between his pork and that of an intensive system. I saw the pigs, that had lived outdoors their entire life, displaying all of their natural behaviours, and how this improved their muscle density, fat content and skin. They are remarkably good pigs! I also learned more about the challenges Simon was having to endure as feed and fuel prices soar. It is truly a worrying time for free-range farming right now. Everything feels very much in the balance.

Whilst chatting to Simon, he spoke about his Pig Ark (houses for Pigs) supplier, a business that had been supplying farmers since the 1950s, and how they had gone bust and closed their doors for good, earlier this year. Simon commented; “The demand just wasn’t there for the arks, as Pig farming has changed so dramatically in recent years”.

Simon’s farm sits a field away from the sea in rural Devon. Beautiful as it may be, the sea air carries salt and Simon now faces the additional, significant cost of repairing rust damage to his older arks. “I can’t claim any kind of warranty, as the company no longer exists, so I’ll be fixing them myself with sheets of tin and rivets. It’ll cost me about three thousand pounds to complete the work”. Simon explained.

When I returned from the visit, I called the Field & Flower team together regarding this, and together we agreed that we wanted to do something to help Simon.

From the 15th August, you’ll be able to contribute to the Simon Price Pig Ark Fund by adding a £1, £2 or £5 donation to your basket on the Field & Flower website. We’re looking for our customers to come together and raise £1,500, which we will then match and donate to Simon – so that he is able to purchase all of the materials for his ark repair project.

Following this, soon I’ll be joining some members of the Field & Flower team as we help with this ark repair work with Simon. Together we can all make a difference to the future of British free-range farming. I hope you’ll support our initiative and thank you for your help.

Update: The £3,00 target has been reached. Thank you all for your generosity and support.