 I love to see the pigs in The New Forest at this time of the year, the pigs join our lovely ponies, donkeys and cattle on the Forest.Commoners let their pigs loose on the Forest to hoover up fallen acorns which are poisonous to ponies and cattle, if the other animals were to eat too many acorns it could cause internal bleeding which can be fatal. The pigs also eat beech mast, crab apples, which are in huge abundance on the Forest floor at the moment - we used to collect them as children and make them into crabapple jelly - you wouldn't want to eat one raw and not sure if it would do ou too much good either. The pigs will also eat anything else they can find. The exact dates for the release of the pigs are decided by the Verderers and the Forestry Commission according to seasonal variations - it's called the pannage season and usually lasts for around 60 days, starting in the 3rd week of September every year. There's been a massive glut of acorns so this year the season started on the 23rd September and has been extended until the end of the December - the pigs are so happy to be roaming free - they're like pigs in... (never mind). Pannage is also known as ‘common of mast’, one of the common rights attached to various properties in and around the New Forest that allows commoners to graze their pigs on the Forest. Traditionally pannage enabled commoners to fatten their pigs for slaughter and salting in the winter. I was reading that in the 19th century there were around 6,000 pigs but the number of pigs owned by commoners has fallen and now there are between 200 - 600 turned out. Still enough to be able to see the pigs roaming loose in the Forest and along the road sides. As with all Forest animals it's not advised to approach them, it's not good for the animals in the Forest to become 'humanised' and they can be unpredicable - plus .... have you seen a pigs teeth!? Commoners pay a token fee for each pig they turn out. Each pig is marked with an identity tag in its ear and has a ring put through its nose to reduce the damage to the Forest caused by rooting. If you have time it's well worth a trip to the New Forest at time of year, not only are the trees beautiful but you can see the pigs and other animals, and it's really quiet, although even in the height of summer you can always go into the Forest and not see another soul all day! If you do decide to visit pop in and see our New Forest Shepherds Hut, we love visitors! |
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