Pair leave corporate life for pig farming

Two men who left behind corporate life to run a smallholding in Shropshire say they wish they had done it sooner.

Jack Fleet and Tom Pearson met about 10 years ago - Fleet owned a care business and Pearson worked for a utility company, spending much of his time in an office.

They bought The Hatch in Astley, near Shrewsbury, two years ago and in December introduced four micro-pigs to the land.

"We spoke about it for years, taking the plunge and making it happen," said Pearson, adding: "Even if the weather's awful, you just feel better for it, being in nature."

"We're not farmers, we've never done anything like this before, so we're learning as we go along," Fleet told the BBC.

One of the pigs is pregnant and her piglets will eventually be sold to people who want them as pets - they are not bred for slaughter.

"They [pigs] don't need that much space and they look after themselves, really," said Fleet.

Pearson added: "We've got three pens on the go with lots of fresh grass and enrichment for the pigs."

The pair said the local community had been supportive of their venture and were always at the end of the phone.

"The local farmers around here have been great, the support we get from them has been great," said Fleet.

"The responsibility towards the animals, that's a big thing - making sure we're getting it right and we're doing everything we can, not having a farming background."

As well as the pigs, they have a greenhouse and orchard, with plans to expand what they do in the future.

They plan to have hay fields with sheep to graze on them, and eventually introduce goats and other animals.

"We want goats, we want chickens," said Pearson, "there's an impulse there just to get them all at once, but we want to do right by the animals."

"We don't have a guru or mentor to tell us what to do… we won't get [other animals] until we're confident we know how to look after them properly."

The pair plan to go on courses to find out more about caring for goats, before bringing some in later this year.

"Eventually, we want to milk them and make goat milk soap," he added.

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