North Farm Livestock (NFL) has followed its success at last year’s National Pig Awards by winning the 2026 Farmers Weekly 2026 Pig Farmer of the Year awards, in London last week.
NFL is the UK’s biggest free range pig farming operation, supplying Waitrose via Pilgrim’s Europe. The company is in the process of expanding – by spring 2027, it will have 13,500 sows across its outdoor breeding farms, with the number of free-range finishing farms increasing from 27 to 44 in Norfolk, Suffolk and Lincolnshire.
NFL picked up the Pig Prpoducer of the Year title at last year’s National Pig Awards. The structure of its farms, with breeding or finishing managers overseeing clusters of units, allows the necessary attention to detail to make continuous improvements.
Performance figures remain strong and improving, with more than 29 pigs weaned per sow per year on average, based on weaning an average of 12.14 piglets per litter. Average daily liveweight gain in the finishing herds is 820g/day, with a feed conversion ratio of 2.39.
It consistently achieves low antibiotics use, with wean-to-finish usage at 15.7 mg/kg and breeding unit usage about 0.3-1.2mg/kg.
The management team are running a highly efficient pig farming business, with huge focus is placed on the welfare of all animals and people involved, as well as the sustainability of the environment and local economy, according to the judges, who included the NPA’s Katie Jarvis.
Every element of their approach balances productivity and profit, with zero compromise on their long-term impact and success. This enables them to forge strong, long-term relationships, allowing the family business to grow.
The structure of their farms, with breeding or finishing managers overseeing clusters of units, allows the necessary attention to detail to make continuous improvements.
What the judges said
“North Farm Livestock have built a model where they are pig farming at scale, with incredibly high performance and welfare standards. They know their market, they constantly adapt and improve, and they have created a business where people want to work.”
Other finalists:
Fred Allen, Newark, Nottinghamshire
Molly-Anne Gimson, Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk