Berkshires to Orkney
Uploaded February 2007

On the small island of Sanday just off the Orkney mainland, two very gorgeous (not that I am biased) Royal Sapphire 8 week old gilts are settling into their new home. They have no idea that they are the first ever pedigree Berkshires to land on the island of Orkney and hopefully not the last.

It all started around July when I received a call from a Mr Tony Poole who wondered if I had any young gilts for sale and if I could arrange for them to be transported, possibly flown, to Orkney! Not your typical everyday phone call but after Tony explained that the gilts were to be a 40th birthday present for his wife Sandy(lucky lady!) I knew I was going to do everything possible to help. Being relatively new to Berkshires, only breeding them for just over a year, and being one of only a small handful of pedigree breeders in Scotland I know the difficulty in sourcing and long journeys involved in securing good stock.

Although I have also found that the Berkshire community are very helpful and willing to travel several miles to meet me half way! I also promised that when I started with the Berkshires that I would do everything possible to help promote the breed and encourage new members to the club so I took it as a personal challenge to help Tony and Sandy to get their long awaited pigs! Although I stay in SW Scotland I am originally an Aberdonian(dont hold that against me!!) so I know that there is a ferry from Aberdeen to Kirkwall(Orkney) so this would be a far easier and more economical mode of transportation than flying.

After discussing the movement plans with my local Animal welfare officer we agreed that it would be safest to transport the piglets in a large(34,24,26)dog cage that JUST fit in the back of my car! He was also happy with the journey times on the basis that they were fed and watered during the trip. Now that the transport was finalised I just had to hope that my pregnant sow delivered the goods! Unfortunately my sow got ill and lost her litter and with no other pigs due in the foreseeable future I knew I was going to have to resort to plan B! Since I wasn't going to let this setback stand in my way of securing another Scottish member I decided to find and buy 2 in pig gilts(only went for one but couldn't decide between 2 so got them both!) and after only 3 weeks they produced litters of 5&8,within hours of eachother,of which 6 were female. I was planning to keep the best two for myself to start my showing career and had two perfectly marked candidates but then decided that if they were going to be the first in Orkney then they were also going to be the prettiest! Four days before movement commenced I weaned the girls to help settle them for their journey and before I knew it was movement day.

On Sunday 1st of October the two rather bewildered gilts were tucked into the cage in the back of my car(photo) . I then drove from Lockerbie to Aberdeen harbour(225 miles) and unloaded them into a transport crate and they were put straight on the ferry. Due to the fact Tony and Sandy live on a small island just off the mainland Orkney they were unable to meet me and their new pigs at Aberdeen but Northlink ferries promised to take care of them during the 6hour trip. They arrived safe and well at Kirkwall and were met by their very enthusiastic new owners! They had a short stay at a friends barn(pigs not owners!) and then got their second ferry across to Sanday(photo)early the next morning and have settled in very well(photo) and Sandy is very pleased with her Birthday present.

I am also happy to say that Sandy is now a member of the Berkshire club and plans to breed from the gilts in 7 months time. She is even suggesting that when I go over to visit in the Spring (any thoughts on a members trip to Orkney?!?)that I bring a young boar with me. Well I think for a first time owner/breeder that natural service is far easier than the old turkey baster!!!