Pig World
  • News
      • Animal Health
      • Breeding
      • Business
      • Environment
      • EU
      • Food Safety
      • Housing
      • Marketing
      • NPA
      • National Pig Awards
      • New Products
      • Nutrition
      • People
      • Pig Fair
      • Politics
      • Training & Education
      • Welfare
  • Features
    • Animal Health
    • Breeding
    • Environment
    • Farm Visits
    • Herd Recording
    • Housing
    • Marketing
    • Nutrition
    • Products
    • Training
  • Comment
    • AHDB Pork
    • Chris Fogden
    • Dennis Bridgeford
    • Peter Crichton
    • Red Robin
    • Veterinary View
    • Zoe Davies, NPA
  • Numbers
  • Pig Prices
  • Magazines
    • September 2025
    • August 2025
    • 2025 Maximising Pig Health supplement
    • July 2025
    • June 2025
    • 2025 Innovation supplement
    • May 2025
    • April 2025
    • March 2025
    • 2025 Buildings supplement
    • February 2025
    • 2025 Nutrition Supplement
    • January 2025
    • December 2024
    • November 2024
    • 2025 National Pig Awards supplement
    • October 2024
    • September 2024
    • August 2024
    • 2024 Pig Health supplement
    • July 2024
    • June 2024
    • 2024 Innovation supplement
    • 2024 Pig & Poultry Fair Guide
    • May 2024
    • April 2024
    • 2024 Buildings Supplement
    • March 2024
    • 2024 Pig Nutrition supplement
    • February 2024
    • January 2024
    • December 2023
    • November 2023
    • 2023 National Pig Awards supplement
    • October 2023
    • September 2023
    • Health Supplement
  • Suppliers
  • Jobs
    • Browse Jobs
    • Post a Job
    • Manage Jobs
  • Classified
  • Events
    • Pigs Tomorrow
    • National Pig Awards
Podcast
Pig WorldPig World
  • News
      • Animal Health
      • Breeding
      • Business
      • Environment
      • EU
      • Food Safety
      • Housing
      • Marketing
      • NPA
      • National Pig Awards
      • New Products
      • Nutrition
      • People
      • Pig Fair
      • Politics
      • Training & Education
      • Welfare
  • Features
    • Animal Health
    • Breeding
    • Environment
    • Farm Visits
    • Herd Recording
    • Housing
    • Marketing
    • Nutrition
    • Products
    • Training
  • Comment
    • AHDB Pork
    • Chris Fogden
    • Dennis Bridgeford
    • Peter Crichton
    • Red Robin
    • Veterinary View
    • Zoe Davies, NPA
  • Numbers
  • Pig Prices
  • Magazines
    1. September 2025
    2. August 2025
    3. 2025 Maximising Pig Health supplement
    4. July 2025
    5. June 2025
    6. 2025 Innovation supplement
    7. May 2025
    8. April 2025
    9. March 2025
    10. 2025 Buildings supplement
    11. February 2025
    12. 2025 Nutrition Supplement
    13. January 2025
    14. December 2024
    15. November 2024
    16. 2025 National Pig Awards supplement
    17. October 2024
    18. September 2024
    19. August 2024
    20. 2024 Pig Health supplement
    21. July 2024
    22. June 2024
    23. 2024 Innovation supplement
    24. 2024 Pig & Poultry Fair Guide
    25. May 2024
    26. April 2024
    27. 2024 Buildings Supplement
    28. March 2024
    29. 2024 Pig Nutrition supplement
    30. February 2024
    31. January 2024
    32. December 2023
    33. November 2023
    34. 2023 National Pig Awards supplement
    35. October 2023
    36. September 2023
    37. Health Supplement
    Featured

    September 2025 issue of Pig World now available

    September 1, 2025
    Recent

    September 2025 issue of Pig World now available

    September 1, 2025

    August 2025 issue of Pig World now available

    August 1, 2025

    2025 Maximising Pig Health supplement now available

    August 1, 2025
  • Suppliers
  • Jobs
    • Browse Jobs
    • Post a Job
    • Manage Jobs
  • Classified
  • Events
    • Pigs Tomorrow
    • National Pig Awards
LinkedIn X (Twitter)
Pig World
Comment

Plenty happening on our new farm tenancy – and I am also trying to get supermarkets to listen

Flavian ObieroBy Flavian ObieroDecember 8, 20233 Mins Read
LinkedIn Twitter Facebook Email
Flavian Obiero

I ended my last article with a celebration of a politician resigning. I begin this one on a similar note; well, with a bit more excitement this time.

Not one but two! Braverman and Coffey will go down in history for many things, few of which will be positive. It was exactly 12 months ago when I last did a comment piece. To say plenty has happened since then would be an understatement.

We got a farm tenancy back in April, on a 61-acre farm, with Hampshire County Council. I still can’t believe that I’m farming in my own right. It was part of our 5-year plan to have our own patch of land somewhere to farm but this came as a surprise. We have pigs (naturally), sheep, goats, and a small human.

I’m 6.5 months into self-employment and 6.5 weeks in to being a dad – I never knew this kind of tiredness existed! What is sleep?

Aside from a few inevitable wobbles, I’ve enjoyed every bit of our journey so far. From getting a phone call from Network Rail about some brown pigs (aka ginger ninjas) on the Titchfield line whilst I was 2.5 hours away from home, en route back from picking up goats, to doing hog roasts and farmers’ markets. We stumbled upon a hog roast company for sale a month into our tenancy. Thanks to Nikki and her go-getter attitude, we acquired our most successful enterprise yet.

With the ubiquitous unfair supply chain, it is a relief to have the capability to dictate the price of our products. Additionally, I have direct contact with the customer which helps with telling our story – soy free diets, locally grown cereals, free range (B-road roundabout level free range). I have also been butchering as an apprentice at a local farm shop 3 days a week.

There is something about looking after an animal from day zero to plate, having been involved in every stage of its life bar the slaughter process (I’m planning to get a slaughter license when I can spare a few consecutive weeks to work in an abattoir). The goal is to have our own processing unit on farm within the next 12 months. Again, shortening that chain even more and keeping myself busy.

Talking of supply chains, I was recently involved in a nationwide supermarket depot blockade. The main aim for this was to get supermarkets to listen to farmers and finally pay fairly for produce.

Nothing significant has changed yet but I keep reminding myself that a certain European city wasn’t built in a day.

Sustainable farm businesses would certainly benefit everyone along the supply chain – as obvious as this sounds, it seems like astronomy to many. Or maybe they just know it, but they don’t care enough to do anything about it.

  • Picture, credit: Flavian Obiero
Share. LinkedIn Facebook Twitter Email
Previous ArticleVet View: Priorities for the latest Defra Secretary – including ending the roulette on border controls
Next Article What current global pork market trends tell us about the prospects for the UK pork market
Flavian Obiero

Read Similar Stories

Vet View: Managing heat stress in pigs

August 6, 2025

Comment: Was the move indoors the right decision for us?

August 4, 2025

Comment: British pork reimagined: Data-led marketing for a changing consumer

July 9, 2025
Latest News

Spotlight on UK pig sector’s biggest threat

September 2, 2025

African swine fever – a truly global disease

September 2, 2025

Wildlife Trusts report ‘lacks context and hard evidence of pig sector environmental damage’ – NPA chief exec

September 2, 2025
Sponsored Content

Enhancing Weaned Pig Health and Performance with Zinc and Iron

August 1, 2025

THE GATEKEEPER OF RESPIRATORY HEALTH – MYCOPLASMA HYOPNEUMONIAE (M.HYO)

April 30, 2024
Current Pig Industry jobs
  • Senior Pig Stockperson – Ref 1772 Aberdeenshire

    • Aberdeenshire
    • Roadhogs Recruitment Ltd.
    • Full Time
  • Senior Pig Stockperson – Ref 1771 Australia

    • Queensland, Australia
    • Roadhogs Recruitment Ltd.
    • Full Time
  • Pig Stockperson – Ref 1752 Somerset

    • Somerset
    • Roadhogs Recruitment Ltd.
    • Full Time
GETTING IN TOUCH
  • Advertise
  • Contact Us
  • Meet The Editors
  • About Us
  • Email Newsletters
  • Subscribe
  • Reuse permissions
OUR SOCIAL CHANNELS
  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn
PARTNER EVENTS
RELATED SITES
  • Farmers Weekly
  • Agronomist & Arable Farmer
  • Farm Contractor
  • National Pig Awards
  • Pigs Tomorrow
  • Poultry News
  • Weekly Tribune
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookies Policy
  • Terms and Conditions
© 2024 MA Agriculture Ltd, a Mark Allen Group company

Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.