The Tamworth

If you are a student of matters porcine, then you will discover all sorts of theories as to the origin of Britain’s only red coloured breed of pig, mostly concerning imports from exotic climes such as Barbados. But the truth is perhaps a little dull but much more worthy – the Tamworth is almost certainly the truest indigenous breed of these islands.

All native breeds are descended from the European wild boar, Sus Scrofa, and throughout all but the last 200 or 300 years, it was the domesticated version of this fine swine that provided pork and bacon to the British people. But the domesticated wild boar of 300 years ago left something to be desired as the industrial revolution meant that more efficient farming was necessary. And thus oriental pigs carried on merchant vessels to supply the crew with fresh meat were traded at some British ports and crossed with the slower maturing, less prolific native pigs of the day. The result was a rapid improvement.

The level of infusion of Chinese and other genes is reckoned to be quantifiable in the degree of how short and squashed the snout is. Using this simple if crude device, we can see that the Middle White is most influenced, (its antecedent the Small White even more so), and the Tamworth thus being the closest to the old British forest pig.

The ‘need’ for exotic theories was to account for the red coloured hair, unique among British breeds. Yet the wild boar has a good deal of red in its colouration and the red gene can be found to dominate in a number of out crosses so it is not so unusual.

The European DNA study of the inter-relationship between breeds found the Tamworth out on a limb compared to other breeds tested in the UK. This could indeed be seen to argue in favour of exotic predecessors but equally backs the belief that the Tamworth is the purest British breed.

Richard Lutwyche