Autumn 2012 Chair takes Champion Congratulations to Tamworth Breeders‟ Club chairman Bill Howes on win- ning this year‟s Tamworth Champion of Champions competition. The finale to the Tamworth show- ing season is held every year at the Have your say! Royal County of Berkshire Show at Newbury. Unfortunately, many of Don’t forget that our the breeders with pigs which quali- Annual General fied for the final were unable to at- Meeting is coming up soon. tend, so only five pigs took part. Bill and Shirley Howes had two in the This year it is host- ring, and were joined by pigs from ed by club president Michele Baldock (Fairview Herd), Caroline Wheatley- Sharron Nicholas (Fairybank Herd), Hubbard in Warmin- ster, Wiltshire. The and Barbara Warren (Courtbleddyn date for your diary Herd). is October 21. The previous day, Bill and Shirley triumphed again, winning breed Bill Howes with judge Anne Petch, and champion with their sow, Stoneymoor Stoneymoor Melody 41 Melody 45, and and reserve with their gilt Stoneymoor Melody 41. Sadly, numbers were down once again, with just five pigs entered - three from the Howeses and two from Michele Baldock. Both Michele and Shar- ron Nicholas must be congratulated on making their debut at Newbury - and we trust they will make it an annual event. We hope both ladies en- joyed their experience and are now planning to get out and about even more with their pigs next year. Let‟s also hope that more club members will be encouraged to take part next year. If you would like a show “mentor” to help you get ready for the Caroline with some of her woodland pigs. show ring, contact club secretary Michele (contact details on the back page of your Trumpet). There are lots of experienced members who would be See pages 4 & 5 for happy to help you select and prepare your show team. more information. Page 2 A view from the chair - with Bill Howes Well! What a summer! I‟ve seen a few wet ones in my time, but none as bad as this. Some shows had to be cancelled through wet and mud- dy conditions but many carried on regardless with good old (and young) stalwart pig keepers determined to show their pigs. Sometimes it was difficult to tell the breeds apart – they were all so covered in mud. The Great Yorkshire was the worst Shirley and I attended - though I know there were worse. The rings were so deep in mud they resembled a battle field (Porke‟s Drift, maybe??). Congratulations to Stuart Roberts and Jodie Fairclough from north Yorkshire. Not only were they the only breeders to have a qualifying Tamworth for Pig of the Year, but they also won the interbreed championship with their sow Raisinhall Mel- ody 11 at the Newark & Notts Show. Well done to everyone else on the show circuit for their successes, too. Tamworths have been well represented throughout the season. Our secretary Michele has been busy collating results and posting them on the club website, so please do let her know if your pigs win prizes! Also, if you‟ve been showing this year, don‟t forget to add up the points you have collected, because the Points Cup will be awarded at the AGM in October. See facing page for details. The TBC display kits which have been travelling around various shows have been very successful in helping to draw attention to the breed, and thanks go to Michele for obtaining part-funding for these from the Rare Breeds Survival Trust. We are currently looking for new committee members and a club representative in Ireland. If you think you might be able to help, we would be very grateful. Bill Page 3 Tamworth numbers still rising Compared with some of the other breeds, Tamworths have faired well over the past year. Melody sows are proving the most popular, with nearly 80 registered – whereas, at the other end of the scale, Maple and Roseleaf have 21 and 36, respectively. As for the boar lines, most are doing well - with the exception of Dream Boy, Ranger, and Jasper, which remain in single figures. Figures in brackets denote 2011 totals. BN = birth-notified Members with Bloodline Registered sows Registered sows with- Total this line name with BN progeny out BN progeny sows 29 (24) Golden 25 (23) 18 (17) 43 (40) Rose 29 (26) Jacqueline 33 (30) 40 (29) 73 (59) 42 (37) Lucky Lass 37 (39) 34 (31) 71 (70) 16 (15) Maple 9 (14) 17 (19) 26 (33) 39 (39) Melody 39 (34) 40 (39) 79 (73) 20 (21) Princess 30 (20) 16 (25) 46 (45) 28 (28) Rita 34 (34) 26 (23) 60 (57) 18 (20) Roseleaf 15 (24) 16 (15) 31 (39) 33 (38) Ruby 39 (41) 34 (36) 73 (77) TOTALS 261 (259) 241 (234) 502 (493) Members with Bloodline name Registered boars this line 7 (9) Dream Boy 7 (9) 17 (11) Glen 18 (11) 11 (10) Golden Ball 11 (10) 14 (11) Golden Ranger 14 (11) 9 (12) Jasper 12 (12) 0 (0) Millennium 0 (0) 8 (11) Ranger 8 (15) 24 (25) Royal Standard 24 (25) 20 (15) Yorkshireman 25 (17) TOTAL 119 (110) Page 4 An AGM with a difference! Attending an Annual General Meeting may not sound the most exciting of prospects, but here at the Tamworth Breeders‟ Club, we like to make a day of it! We try and find interesting locations for our annual get-togethers, so that we can combine club business with a great social event. The AGM this year will be on October 21 at Boy- ton Farm in Warminster, Wiltshire - home our president, Caroline Wheatley-Hubbard. She owns the famous Berkswell Herd – the oldest herd of Tamworths in the UK. Caroline Wheatley-Hubbard introduces Tamworth Breeders’ Club members to some of her woodland pigs at a previous AGM held in 2008. COST AND GETTING THERE Lunch will be provided at Caroline‟s on-site restaurant, The Ginger Piggery, at a cost of £7.50 per head, with part of the fee going towards club funds. Please send payment to the club secretary. Location: Boyton Farm, Boyton, Warminster, Wiltshire, BA12 0SS Tel: 01985 850381 Situated just south of the A36 in South Wiltshire, between Warminster and Salisbury. Just west of the Codford bypass on the A36 is a turning south signed to Boyton. Take this turning, and cross a railway and river into the village. Turn right at the T junction the en- trance to the farm is the first gate on the right. Page 5 Celebrity pigs on parade Two of Caroline‟s sows (pictured left) became TV stars when the BBC made a drama based on the tale of the Tamworth Two - the Tamworth x wild boar escapees who sparked mas- sive media interest when they went on the run back in Jan- uary 1998. Pictures by Liz Shankland Page 6 Pigs might fly...or travel by road, rail, or ferry! by WENDY SCUDAMORE Exporting may seem more trouble than it‟s worth to some, but I can only say that once you have been through the process, it does seem a lot more straightforward - and the satisfaction of seeing photographs from your customers, of your own pigs on foreign turf makes it all worthwhile. My advice is to spread your wings a little and send your breeding stock - and your reputation further afield. Sending pigs within the European Union Exporting within the EU is actually classed as “intra- community trade”, and is considerably easier than exporting further afield. Each individual member state has its own requirements and before you make plans to book transport, etc., you will need to familiarise yourself with these by contacting Defra‟s Inter- national Centre for Exports in Carlisle - the main centre for exports of live animals. They will send you the information you need. Or you can look on the Defra website where you will find these requirements listed. At the time of writing, I believe the only member state within the EU which requires blood testing is Northern Ireland. First plan your journey. If you are selling pigs abroad as a business (i.e. for profit) then you must have the ap- propriate vehicle approval documents and you must Small crates for transporting weaners can be fastened securely also be licensed to transport the animals yourself. inside a trailer Licences vary according to journey duration, so check with Defra‟s Welfare in Transit department. If your customer is coming to collect the pigs, the job will be a whole lot simpler as he will be permitted to transport them without an official transport licence. His vehicle will, however, need to meet certain require- ments. Small weaners can be legally transported in containers in a car, provided the containers are suitable. You must apply for an Export Health Certificate. If you are sending your animals within Europe, you can find the appropriate documents at http://animalhealth.defra.gov.uk/about/publications/forms/ EXA31.pdf If you are the haulier, a journey log (http://www.defra.gov.uk/forms/files/wit7.pdf ) will be required when you apply for your Export Health Certificate. This details dates, times, intended rest stops, vehicle details, shipping/aircraft details, pig details and destination details. The document will be sent to your vet along with the Health Certificate once it has been approved by Carlisle. You must return the com- pleted document to Defra within a month of completing the journey. If blood tests are required, the animals must have lived on the holding for a minimum of 30 days.