Lincolnshire curly-coated pig

Lincolnshire curly-coated pig
Other names	Baston Pig Lincolnshire Curly Coat
Country of origin	United Kingdom
Pig (Sus scrofa domesticus.)

The Lincolnshire curly-coated pig, also known as the Baston Pig or simply as the Lincolnshire Curly Coat, was an old breed of domestic pig from the United Kingdom. The breed became rare and finally extinct by the early 1970s, though there have recently been efforts to recreate it based on a Hungarian breed that is partly descended from the original Lincolnshire stock.

Characteristics

The Curly Coat, in common with other of the old 'local' breeds in the United Kingdom, was bred to be tough and hardy, suitable for keeping by smallholders. It was a large pig with lop ears; its most prominent feature was its long, curly white coat, which helped it to weather the damp, cold winters of the Lincolnshire fens.

History and re-creation

The Lincolnshire Curly Coat was one of the oldest breeds in the UK, and was formerly very common in its county of origin. By the 1930s, selective breeding had developed its fattening abilities, and large specimens were exported to Russia and other countries. The breed, however, dwindled in the period after the Second World War, mainly due to changing farming patterns and a taste for leaner meat. The last known specimens were kept for research purposes by a large firm, but this sent the remaining animals for slaughter in 1972.

In recent years a number of pigs of a variant of the Hungarian Mangalitza breed, which bears a strong resemblance to the Curly Coat, have been imported to the UK. These pigs, which are now extremely rare in their native Hungary, belong to a bloodline partly descended from Lincolnshire Curly Coats exported in the early 20th century and crossed with the Mangalitza: they are therefore being used to recreate an approximation of the original breed.

See also

• List of domestic pig breeds