Donald Elliott is about to feed piglets on his farm in Sanguinetti, Clarendon. - photo by george henry

George Henry, Gleaner Writer

Spaldings, Clarendon:

Fifty-six-year-old Donald Elliott was a trucker for four decades, but two years ago he decided to bail out to rear pigs commercially.

The pig farmer, who resides in Sanguinetti, Clarendon, told Farmers Weekly that he loved animals, hence the decision to start growing pigs for the lucrative pork market. He has also added a herd of goats to his livestock.

In addition, he also spends some of his time planting yam, banana and other crops. But it is the rearing of the animals he likes to do best. According to Mr. Elliott, when he started out rearing two sows, he did not know six years later it would have grown to 55.

No time

"I thought about rearing pigs some years ago but I did not have the space to accommodate them and I did not have the time to deal with them. Trucking was my first work," said Mr. Elliott.

For him, a typical work day on the farm starts as early as 4:00 a.m. Mr. Elliott noted that he has to make sure that the animals get their regular shots (injections) and proper proportion of feed and water. He has to also ensure that the pens are properly and regularly sanitised.

Odour no problem

"I don't have any problem with the odour, neither do my neighbours, because I make sure that the pens are washed at least twice per day so that they (pigs and pen) are clean at all times," the pig farmer explained. "I have to use a lot of water on this farm," he added.

While the farmer does not have a difficulty marketing his animals, he believes the price farmers are getting per pound for pigs is too low. He added that he sells most of his pigs to business establishments in Kingston and he gets about $70 per pound for the meat. Mr. Elliott said pig farmers should instead be paid about $100 per pound for their pork at this time of the year.