March 7, 2023 9.21 am This story is over 11 months old

Woolly ‘eco pigs’ taking Doddington Hall back to nature

They are kind of a pig deal!

A team of ‘eco pigs’ are improving the range of insect and plant life at Doddington Hall near Lincoln.

The pigs were brought over from Hungary and do what’s known as rootling – ploughing through the soil eating plants and bug, and whatever else they can unearth.

Their woolly coat and thick layer of fat allows them to live outside all year.

Feed is being used, but only sparingly to encourage the pigs to eat in the soil.

‘Eco pigs’ are improving the range of insect and plant life at Doddington Hall. | Screenshot: BBC Look North

Isobel Wright, of the Wilder Doddington Project, which is ‘ending arable farming and letting nature take over’.

She told BBC Look North: “That’s really important for us because some plants, and insects, tree seeds need to establish in bare soil and having the pigs here is the mechanism.

“They’ll also create wallows in wet patches. They’ll create muddy puddles and again that’s really important for lots of small inverterbrates that are fed on in turn by birds.”

The pigs can grow to twice their current size and can be boisterous, so that part of the estate won’t be opened to the public. This team of three can get through an area of land the size of a football pitch every single week.


MyLocal Lincolnshire is the new home of The Lincolnite. Download the app now.