The day has arrived to slaughter one of the pigs. The chosen pig was about 10 weeks old. The pig might have seemed rather young for slaughter. Indeed, pigs sold for commercial pork will be older, usually 16 weeks or more. However, our customer was a Filipino man and this was the size of pig he wanted. Perhaps he wanted to cook something like Lechon, I don't know. According to Laurie, Maori people also like smaller pigs. Perhaps they have a dish like Chinese delicacy, roasted suckling pig.
Slaughtering the pig was also a co-operative effort, like raising them. Laurie, Brian, and another neighbour, Frank, teamed up for this.
First, the pig was killed with a single shot to the head. Brian had a hunting rifle, which is common in rural areas. Then, a stab to the neck and heart to drain the blood.
Next, we removed the hair from the pig. This was done by immersing the pig in hot water at about 60-65C. Brian explained that the water temperature has to be just right. Too cold, and the hair won't come out. Too hot, and the pig may get cooked.
Finally, the pig is suspended on a rope. Brian sliced the pig's gut and removed all the internal organs: heart, liver, kidneys, intestine. I mentioned that many of these organs are eaten by Chinese, and are even considered delicacy. Laurie agreed that in old times, Europeans also ate them. But young people don't eat them today. For this customer, he wanted the head of the pig. Perhaps pig head is also a delicacy in Filipino dish.
I don't consider eating the head or internal organs of an animal to be disgusting. After all, Malaysians eat fish head, pig liver, cow tail, chicken feet and much more. I consider it to be a form of "recycling". Not throwing food away. Perhaps it can even be considered a sign of respect for the animal, as we are using every part of its body to nourish us.
I wondered how much would a pig like this would sell for. Laurie said it's about NZD130, which comes to about $6/kg (the pig is around 20kg). That's about the same money I make in one day picking kiwifruit. It's very little money. After factoring in the cost of raising the pig, and the fact that profit is shared, it's no surprise that the farm makes very little money.
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