WHEN Peter Twomey, his wife and children accepted a prestigious sustainable farming award for their free-range pig farm it was a hugely emotional moment.

Having taken a  gamble to diversify from a 90-cow dairy farm just three years ago, to only just getting back on his feet after an injury and health complications that saw him laid up for two months, it was a milestone to savour.

Peter, his wife Kate and their three children, who run Glenbrook farm in Whites Cross, were honoured at the Royal Dublin Society (RDS) Foundation Awards, which recognises entrepreneurial farmers who have created new income streams through initiatives such as agri-tourism, innovative marketing and educational experiences strengthening farm viability and rural communities.

‘It was a really emotional moment because this is something we’ve built up and achieved together,’ said Peter (47).

A third generation farmer, he diversified from dairy to pigs in May 2023. It wasn’t a decision he made lightly and it was something he had mulled over for years.

But the drought in 2018 and subsequent fodder problems were a turning point for him.

‘I had 98 cows and two bulls, so 100 animals, and four sows on the side as a hobby. I had been thinking about leaving dairy for a while. It was just getting very stressful with the volatility in weather, droughts, issues with fodder and prices, all things out of your control,’ he said.

‘Getting out of something you’ve being doing all your life is harder than you think,’ he admitted, but it’s something he’s never regretted. ‘We now have 28 sows and 100 pigs at various stages at any one time producing clean, and antibiotic, chemical free meat. We grow grass for beef –  we have retired dairy animals – and lamb, we also supply restaurants, supply our own farm shop here every Saturday and a butcher,’ said Peter.

Some 13 acres of the farm is laid out in paddocks for the pigs, with only three in use at any one time to allow for rotation, rest, and root foraging.

He also leases 60 acres to Cork Rooftop Farm for growing organic vegetables.

‘A mentally stimulated pig is a happy pig which means phenomenal pork,’ said Peter.

‘In the farm shop we also have a chart showing where the cows came from, how much food she produced over her lifetime and how much meat she produced. All that’s very important to us,’ he said.

Future plans include developing a free range chicken unit, and to develop a viewing area for customers of the farm shop to see where all the produce food is coming from and to improve that relationship and knowledge.

It’s been a challenging few months for the Peter who was out of work  for two months after an injury and health complications.

‘I lost my footing coming down the last two steps of the stairs at home and burst a tendon in my knee which required surgery. Then I got a clot in my lung, followed by pneumonia and heart failure,’ he said.

When a small food producer is knocked out, the potential for the wheels to come off the operation is huge, he said.

Peter accepting the award with his wife Kate and three children.

‘I genuinely nearly kicked the bucket and was in bed for 20 days and in hospital for a month. I’m just back feeding the pigs now, using one crutch and I can’t drive the jeep or tractor yet. But the way my family, friends and neighbours responded was phenomenal. My daughter Annie May, who is 15, was on mid-term when this all happened and she got stuck in and did everything and when she went back to school my neighbour Ken Ryan fed the pigs every day. Dermot Allen of the Irish Pig Society came down every Friday to do pig management and Brian Phelan, Frank McCarthy and Andy O’Callaghan were all a huge help. When something like this happens you really know who your friends are,’ he said.

Annie May (15), Tadhg (13) and Florence (11) along with Peter’s wife Kate who owns Vanilla Boutique in Fermoy are all involved in Glenbrook Farm.

‘There’s really nowhere like this in Ireland and we’re showing others how it can be done by running courses here. We’re trying to get pigs back on farms, trying to grow pig numbers, and to supply piglets for outdoor rearing.

Life as a pig farmer is very different to that as a dairy farmer – but it’s all positive and getting a McKenna’s Guide plaque earlier this year was further encouragement.

‘We were failing to feed one cow to an acre in a year and now we’re feeding over 2,000 people per acre in a year,’ said Peter.

‘Also, it’s important to realise that not all profit shows up on a profit sheet – we are temporarily living on less income but we have more family time, no volatility and healthy anxiety that we can control and we’ve done it together as a family.

‘I gave up cows not knowing if I successfully manage a free range pig farm – that was the gamble, but we did it.’