Next-Door Nuisance?

Your new neighbours may have some reservations when you mention buying your first pigs. Liz Shankland offers some advice about staying on good terms

- Liz Shankland

In a normal pre- and post-coronavirus world, getting your first smallholding can be the start of an exciting new adventure, and pigs are often high on the wishlist. However, it is worth trying to reign in your enthusiasm a little before making any big decisions about livestock, particularly if your nearest neighbours are not farming folk.

A few sheep in your fields are unlikely to raise too many eyebrows, but pigs can be a bit more of an emotive subject. Those unfamiliar with pigs often have preconceptions about them; the most frequently heard are that they are noisy, smelly, dirty and make a mess of any land to which they have access. For the most part, these are valid points, so your job as a newcomer to pig-keeping will be to allay their fears and do everything you can to ensure that your new acquisitions will not cause a rift that could be hard to put right. It may be tempting to take the “It’s my land and I’ll do what I want with it” view, but, as anyone who has endured a neighbour dispute will tell you, it can dominate your everyday life.

FIRST THINGS FIRST

You may think that it’s nobody’s business but your own, but it’s worth having a chat with any near neighbours about your plans for the land, in the same way as it can be beneficial to discuss any major building work.

Invite them over for a friendly cup of tea and explain where your pig paddock will be, how it will be fenced and the kind of housing you have in mind. If there are any serious concerns about the visual appearance of the paddock when viewed from next door, fence panels or a fastgrowing willow hedge outside the stock fencing might be a solution, with the added benefit of acting as a windbreak and sound deflector.