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Back Cut to the Bone Save as PDF
Chapters (71)
  1. Cover
  2. Praise for Cut to the Bone
  3. About the Author
  4. Also by Roz Watkins
  5. Note to Readers
  6. Dedication
  7. 1
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  66. Extract
  67. Prologue
  68. Chapter 1
  69. Author’s note
  70. Acknowledgements
  71. About the Publisher

Most of this book is the product of my fevered imagination. However, the keeping of pigs in tiny cages is not.

In the UK, over half of sows are kept in ‘farrowing crates’ from up to seven days before they give birth until the piglets are weaned at around three or four weeks of age. The crates are sized such that the mother pig cannot turn around, reach to nuzzle or lick her piglets, or even lie comfortably. The floor is usually hard and slatted, even though a mother pig has a strong motivation to build a nest before giving birth. The crate also prevents the mother pig from being able to move away from her piglets or push them away, for example if they bite her teats.

If you eat pork but would prefer not to support this, look for products labelled ‘organic’ or ‘free range’. If you choose ‘outdoor reared’ or ‘outdoor bred’, the sows are not kept in crates, although the pigs they give birth to are still kept indoors for at least some of their lives. Compassion in World Farming has good information – https://www.ciwf.org.uk/your-food/meat-poultry/pork-and-bacon/

UK pig farming has a long way to go, but it is better than in much of the rest of the world. In many countries, it is common for a pregnant sow to be kept in a sow stall (also called a ‘gestation crate’) for the whole of her sixteen-week pregnancy. A sow stall is a metal cage – usually with a bare concrete/slatted floor – which is so narrow that the sow cannot turn around, and she can only stand up and lie down with difficulty. Larger pigs cannot even lie on their sides as they sometimes like to, and must lie on their fronts. Sow stalls were banned in the UK in 1999, with a partial ban enforced in the EU from 2013. Unfortunately, following the UK ban, supermarkets increased imports of low-welfare meat from other countries, putting UK producers in an impossible position unless consumers specifically chose higher-welfare meat. It is unclear what will happen in the future, but it is likely to be even more important to check carefully what you are buying.

Acknowledgements

Writing the acknowledgements gets harder with each book. So many people have helped me in so many ways and it’s all hugely appreciated, but I can’t mention everyone.

Massive thanks to everyone at Marjacq, especially my fantastic agent, Diana Beaumont. The longer I work with her, the more I realise how incredibly lucky I am!