‘Ethical Farming’ best encompasses a number of our core beliefs around how we farm.

• Sustainable farm practices
• Ecologically sensitive practices
• Organic standards
• Humane animal care
• Improving the land we are caretakers of
• Working with our animals and environment, rather than forcing it to work our way.

We currently don’t, and most likely won’t, brand our products with certifiers and logos, as it is more important to us to find the best standards of flora, fauna and land management, and meet or exceed them, for our farms health, than for bureaucratic or sales purposes.

We are constantly learning and improving, and Cyan does huge amounts of research to ensure we are doing our best.

Training

Both Cyan and I have completed Certificate III in Agriculture (Pig Husbandry) as well as numerous workshops on other animals, flora and land management practices. We are both registered apiarists.

We love our animals, it is as simple as that. They are fun, intelligent, cheeky, and an endless source of amusement, and frustration.

The early bird really does get the worm

Buy pork or mutton from us, and you can join the RSPCA 'choose wisely' initiative, letting your loyal customers and future customers know you are part of ethical eating.

The way we farm reflects that, and keeping our animals healthy and happy for as long as they are with us is a primary concern.

Our farm is being kept small enough that we can continue to do the diverse types of activities, the way we want. We can look after our animals in ways different to large scale farms where it just isn't necessarily feasible. We don't want to lose that.

So, our ethos is to work WITH our animals, our land and our plants to achieve our goals. It seems counter-intuitive, but it actually works out easier in the long run, if slower initially. But slow is ok. This way puts less stress on them, and leads to happier, healthier animals and systems.

Cyan, Roger and some of the flock

There are tons of standards and manuals that can be used to assist with Humane treatment of animals, many are optional. It takes time to learn, and some of the ways we do things aren't in those manuals, as they are designed mainly for large commercial operations, not small holdings.

We often won't be going for 'certification', as these are often expensive and designed for large scale or full retail operations, however, this doesn't mean we can't do our best to self-manage our operations to meet or exceed the same standards.

Most of the certification and welfare standards are in-line with what our ethos leads us to do anyway.

What is Humane animal care?

There are lots of ways to say it, but I am going to pinch an excellent description from a respected animal welfare organisation - the RSPCA. In their standard, it says: The Standards are based on the ‘Five Freedoms’:

• Freedom from hunger and thirst — by providing ready access to fresh water and a diet to maintain full health and vigour
• Freedom from discomfort — by providing an appropriate environment including shelter and a comfortable resting area
• Freedom from pain, injury or disease — through prevention or rapid diagnosis and veterinary treatment
• Freedom to express normal behaviour — by providing sufficient space, proper facilities and company of the animal’s own kind
• Freedom from fear and distress — by ensuring conditions and treatment which avoid mental suffering.

Although these ‘freedoms’ define ideal states, they provide a comprehensive framework for the assessment of animal welfare on farm, during transport and for slaughter. These ‘freedoms’provide the framework for the standards in this scheme, presented as follows:

• food and water
• environment, housing and accommodation
• animal health and husbandry (including surgical procedures)
• management
• transport
• slaughter

Our animals welfare

Pigs investigate

All of our animals are looked after, possibly spoiled, but in a positive way, not lots of candy type spoiling.

All have access to human grade drinking water, that is plumbed. Those that can be allowed to roam free, have access to healthy grazing (grass, clover etc, not dangerous weeds), lots of space, and generally come over to say hi when they want to, but otherwise do their natural thing.

The animals that are in pens, are in large pens (more than 14 times the size of that required by RSPCA or Organic standards) with small numbers of family numbers in them. All our animals are raised by hand, and know and trust us. We were there at the birth of all our piglets (and helped deliver them all) and meet all our lambs from day one.

 

Jersey has a rest

As we have an organic principle farm, we don’t have sprays and herbicides and all the other toxic stuff that can harm the animals or end up in their water or pastures. Our pigs all have housing, and have wallows in the warmer seasons. Our pigs get human grade organic grains, fruit and vegetables, organic milk, and a balanced diet to ensure their health.

All the animals get pats, cuddles, scratches and whatever else it is they want.

How we stack up

Self-assessment

Being a qualified risk management professional for my job , I (Martin) have converted many of the standards into spreadsheets so I can assess how we full-fill the requirements of them, and we can close any gaps over time. Self-assessment isn't foolproof, however we believe that it is better than not doing it at all, and it gives us an independent, industry guide to track our progress against. When I assess how we full-fill the standards, one component is to identify a status against each 'element' and 'sub-element' Comply (●), Exceed (●), Not Applicable (●), Not Yet Compliant (●)

RSPCA Approved Farming Scheme - Pig Standards

We are NOT approved by RSPCA pig standard, as they have advised our small size makes it impractical for them and us. However, we love their fantastic program and endeavour to meet or exceed it anyway, our self assessment below is our interpretation of how we think we go.

RSPCA Pig Standard sections and info	Total	Comply	Exceed	N/A	No
# of total	133	72	36	22	3
% of total applicable to our situation	111	65%	32%		3%
1. Pig supply	4	2	0	2	0
2. Food and water	11	4	6	1	0
3. Environment, housing and accommodation	36	19	7	10	0
4. Stocking density	14	4	9	1	0
5. Husbandry and surgical procedures	8	6	2	0	0
6. Management procedures	18	8	7	3	0
7. Vet health plan	6	2	1	0	3
8. Cleaning and hygiene	2	2	0	0	0
9. On-farm euthanasia	4	3	1	0	0
10. Handling and Transport	15	10	2	3	0
11. Slaughter and Processing	14	12	1	2	0

Bunyip Hollow is an extension of our own passions and beliefs.

So it is only natural that our aim is to have a sustainable, organic and ‘ethical’ farm and vineyard. We will be growing what we like to eat and buy.

We comply as a minimum to the National Standard for Organic and Bio‐Dynamic Produce from the Australian Government – Dept Agriculture & Water Resources and try to exceed wherever we can.

Our animals are being organically raised, grown and fed, in the most ethical way we can. We do have to kill some of the animals, but we want them to be as healthy and ‘happy’ as they can be, and not the really young age so common in commercial farming.

We are restoring our ‘Billabong’, ‘Fens’ and ‘Lagoon’ areas to natural condition.

We are using a more ‘passive’ method of farming (read: lazy?), meaning wherever possible we will work with what the local environment and plants can deliver rather than trying to force it to give us what we want.

Standards and Practices

All Farm or multiple animals

• National – Farm Biosecurity Manual for Grazing Livestock
• National – Standard for Organic and Bio-Dynamic Produce
• Victoria – Improving the Welfare of Animals (DRAFT)
• Victoria – Livestock Management Act

Bees

• National – Beekeeping Guide
• National – Biosecurity Code of Practice – Honey Bees
• National – Biosecurity Manual for Bee-Keepers

Cattle

• National – Animal Welfare Standards and Guidelines for Cattle (not yet regulation until 2018-19)

Pigs

• National – Companion Handbook to Model Code of Practice for Pig Welfare
• National – Environmental Guidelines for Piggeries
• National – Farm Biosecurity Manual for Pork Production
• National – Model Code of Practice for the Welfare of Animals – Pigs
• National – RSPCA Pig Standards
• Victoria – Pig Welfare Standards and Guidelines

Poultry

• National – Farm Biosecurity Manual for Poultry Production
• Victoria – Code of Accepted Farming Practice for the Welfare of Poultry

Sheep

• National – Animal Welfare Standards and Guidelines for Sheep (not yet regulation until 2018-19)
• Victoria – Code of Accepted Farming Practice for the Welfare of Sheep