Gloucestershire Old Spots

The Gloucester Old Spot (or Gloucestershire Old Spot) is a breed of pig. It is also the name of a public house at Piff's Elm.

The Gloucester Old Spot was once a very popular breed. With the advent of intensive farming, certain lean, pale, high-yield breeds were chosen to suit the factory conditions and needs of mass-production. Many old breeds of pig died out, or were greatly diminished, in this time. However, owing to consumer pressure in the UK, and changes to the law, both attributable to an increasing awareness of, and concern about, farming conditions, pigs have been increasingly reared outdoors in the UK. In addition, more consumers are looking for quality meat, as opposed to cheap, bland meat product. In these conditions, old breeds well-suited to living outdoors, such as the Gloucester Old Spot, have increasingly been chosen by farmers looking to add value to their products.