In honour of Lord Emsworth’s beloved Empress of Blandings, The P G Wodehouse Society (UK) has launched a campaign to save the Berkshire Pig from extinction. The Berkshire is a traditional British breed but there are now only about 400 breeding sows in this country, and Berkshires are classified as ‘Vulnerable’ by the Rare Breeds Survival Trust.

But the campaign may not be music to the Empress’s ears, for its central message encourages people to eat Berkshire meat. “We call it The Emsworth Paradox” says P G Wodehouse Society Chairman, Hilary Bruce. “Wodehouse’s eccentric character Lord Emsworth was passionate about his prize Berkshire sow, the Empress of Blandings, and the thought of eating her would have horrified him.

“But the truth is that today, pure-bred Berkshires are in danger. We have to increase their numbers dramatically, maybe fourfold, to preserve the carefully nurtured bloodlines and so prevent inbreeding. We hope that embracing The Emsworth Paradox will establish a successful niche market for delicious Berkshire pork and so guarantee that when our children and grandchildren read Wodehouse’s stories about the Empress of Blandings, they will still be able to see a pig just like her.”

The P G Wodehouse Society campaign, aimed at the public as well as its 1000+ members, is launched with a special supplement to the Society’s quarterly journal Wooster Sauce, and is supported by the Berkshire Pig Breeders Club. Back the Berkshire will continue for five years, but the campaign begins with:

• Sponsoring the national Berkshire Pig Breeders Club Champion of Champions competition at the Royal Berkshire Show (held this year on 17 & 18 September) for five years

• Encouraging people to embrace The Emsworth Paradox by buying and eating Berkshire pork

• Producing Back the Berkshire ties to raise sponsorship funds for Berkshire pigs at Rare Breed parks

“I’m sure everyone that feels affection for The Empress of Blandings and Lord Emsworth will want to do their bit to keep the Berkshire breed in good heart” says Hilary Bruce. “And they can feel good about doing so, because Berkshires are raised to very high welfare standards - and the pork is delicious.”

Related:
P G Wodehouse Society
Radio 4 Today Programme Interview (caution: 2.3Mb!)
Article in The Times, Saturday 2nd July 2005 (page 5)

For further information contact:
Hilary Bruce, Chairman 020 7286 0211 hilarybruce@ntlworld.com
Tony Ring, Editor, Wooster Sauce 01494 864848 tring@sauce34.freeserve.co.uk