Kiwi Bacon: SPCA 'Blue Tick' accredited

Kiwi Bacon carries the Blue Tick - an accreditation through the SPCA that regulates animal welfare standards. Photo / Supplied

PROMOTION: Bacon lovers can spread happiness in more ways than one. Flying in the face of factory farming with crates and stalls, free-farmed bacon has come within reach of the ordinary Kiwi.

And 'Kiwi' is the word, as one cruelty free alternative is the Kiwi Bacon brand.
Much like a quality single malt whisky or a vineyard produced wine, all pork products carrying the brand come from a single source. Patoa Farms in North Canterbury has been dedicated to free-farmed pigs as an ethical choice since it was started in 1998.

On the banks of the Hurunui River, the scene on the farm is one of pigs roaming free in the open air. Paddocks are dotted with small huts where sows can bring up their families and shelter from the weather. And when the little porkers leave their mother's side they can still roam free and share the shelter of an open barn with fresh straw for bedding every day.

While sow crates and cages will be banned in New Zealand from the end of this year, Patoa Farms has been operated that way on principle rather than wait for the law to catch up. Run by co-founder Steve Stern and his family, in February they were the first pig farm in New Zealand to win the coveted South Island Farmer of the Year.

"It is an ethical choice at the forefront of people's mind," says Brydon Heller, brand manager for Kiwi Bacon. He has done the market research. "People are concerned about how pigs are treated, especially over the last couple of years with what they have seen on TV."

Rows of indoor sow stalls crammed in for intensive factory farming provide barely enough room for a pig to stand or lie down. It is a technique recognised as inhumane treatment and bad for animal health as well as happiness. And while they will be a thing of the past here by the end of the year, Australian pigs will have to wait until 2017 and they are still allowed in many countries and US states.

Around half of the pork consumed in New Zealand comes from overseas because we simply cannot grow enough pigs here. Looking out for home-produced rashers is a first step and SPCA accreditation is valuable extra peace of mind for the conscientious. And the Patoa Farms pigs live just one hour up the road from where Kiwi Bacon is produced.
The cost can be a little higher but; "you get what you pay for," comments Heller. Cheaper cuts that shrivel on the stove can be pumped with more brine to bulk up the weight on the supermarket shelves.

From pan to palate, Heller says free-farmed bacon just tastes better as well. "It does cook up crisp."

Great news for the coming season, when more bacon is munched around barbecues and on camping trips. "Bacon is more of a summer treat, when there's time to relax."

Consumers seem to be voting with their shopping trolleys and online with their clicks. The brand already has one of the most popular Facebook pages for bacon on the internet, with a mouth-watering array of recipes and serving suggestions.

Where the name does bring home the bacon is in making that little extra affordable for Kiwis. According to Brydon Heller, expect to pay around $1 more than budget bacon for 250g of produce that your conscience and taste buds will thank you for.

Kiwi Bacon: kiwibacon.co.nz
Facebook: facebook.com/KiwiBacon
Patoa Farms: patoafarms.co.nz

Kiwi Bacon carries the Blue Tick - an accreditation through the SPCA that regulates animal welfare standards under five primary criteria: access to appropriate water and food, freedom from discomfort, freedom from injury or disease, ability to express natural behavior and limited mental suffering. The Blue Tick accreditation informs consumers that their food has been farmed without cruel practices like farrowing crates for pigs, which are legal under New Zealand law until the end of 2015.

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