A RENOWNED wild boar farmer who launched his career with his stall on Barrow Market has joined a cast of A-list celebrities and world famous chefs in a bid to eradicate cruel pig factories.

Actors such as household names Jeremy Irons and Dominic West have backed the video campaign launched by Farms not Factories to celebrate farmers who have high animal welfare standards.

The video series calls on consumers to only buy meat with a high animal welfare label such as RSPCA Assured, Outdoor Bred, Free Range or Organic.

One of the farmers featured is Peter Gott, whose Sillfield Farm near Kendal is hailed as a leading light in wild boar farming.


After leaving school, Mr Gott took over his family's meat stalls, including the outlet on Barrow Market which he still owns.

He became involved in wild boar farming more than 20 years ago and Farms not Factories used his business as an example of the best animal welfare practice by pairing him up with celebrity chef Mark Hix.

Farms not Factories campaigns against so-called pig factories, a similar set-up to the more well-known battery hens, and champions free range produce.

"I depend on the likes of chefs such as Mark who sees that welfare, outdoor reared, and the total integrity of what we do here at Sillfield Farm is just as important as the service and the food on the plate," Mr Gott said.

To keep factory farmed pigs alive, they must be given routine doses of antibiotics. About 45 per cent of antibiotics used in the UK are used in animals of which around 60 per cent are given to pigs.

Restauranteur Mark Hix argues that meat from free range farms is far superior to that produced in pig factories.

"A customer buying a piece of meat, whether it's from a butcher shop or a restaurant, needs the label or menu to be marked with the provenance and how it has been raised," he said.

"The relative cost of the high quality ingredients is a tiny cost in the big scheme of running a restaurant."

Other chefs who have joined the campaign include Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall and Leslie Ash and Vivienne Westwood are some of the celebs making up the star-studded cast.

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RECIPE: Scallops with ramsons and wild boar bacon (from Peter Gott's farm)

16-20

medium hand-dived scallops, cleaned, left in the half-shell

8-12 rashers

streaky wild boar bacon

150g

butter

salt

freshly ground black pepper

2 handfuls

ramsons (wild garlic)

METHOD

Remove the scallops from their half-shells and set aside.

Warm the shells in a very low oven or somewhere similarly warm.


Cut the bacon into rough 5 mm dice and cook gently in a dry frying pan for 3–4 minutes until lightly coloured.

Remove the bacon from the pan with a slotted spoon, keeping the fat in the pan. In a clean heavy-based frying pan, heat half of the butter.

Season the scallops, add to the pan and fry over a high heat for a minute on each side until nicely coloured.

At the same time, melt the rest of the butter in the pan with the bacon fat and heat until almost foaming.

Add the ramsons and cook for about 20 seconds until wilted, turning them with a spoon so they don’t colour.

Divide the ramsons between the scallop shells.

Lay the scallops on top of the ramsons.

Toss the bacon into the butter remaining in the scallop pan, warm quickly, then spoon over the scallops and serve straight away.