Meat from an old breed of pig is sought after
lifestyle
Spotted alpine pigs were already extinct in the Salzburg region. At the organic farm Sauschneider in St. Margarethen (Lungau) dig 35 back into the earth as the mood takes you. The Löcker family has dedicated itself to this old and robust animal breed. Tuesday is International Pig Day.
They are hardy, undemanding, loosen up the soil and love to be outdoors most of their lifetime. Matthias Löcker brought a boar and two sows from South Tyrol – meanwhile there are also many offspring in the Lungau: “The preservation of the breed is worth it. In the last few days it has been minus 20 degrees below zero. They have a little shelter and that’s enough for them. They are extremely robust and we simply need this genetic resource.”
No art for factory farming
The breed is not suitable for fast fattening in the stable. These pigs need a lot of space, are allowed to grow slowly here on four hectares for a year and a half, eat silo hay, grain and, as a rare specialty, Lungauer Eachtling: “We only eat what we know where it comes from. The high quality is very important to me.”
Pretty high price
The quality beats the price. A kilo of Lungau organic alpine pork in a mixed package with schnitzel, roast and minced meat costs 22.90 euros, says Simon Lüftenegger from sales at Bio Austria Lungau: “The conventional price for pork is so low that the price you should actually ask already seems utopian.”
The Lungau musician Fritz Messner is a customer of the farmer. He says the meat is good for low-temperature cooking. It WILL also be delivered to the top gastronomy in the region and also sold in the parental farm shop. It is exclusive thing and not sold on a large scale. Matthias Löcker will improve the marketing. The production of a prosciutto from alpine pigs is also planned. The family wants to help interested parties to breed and keep such animals themselves.