Brodoclea Woodland Farm is proving farming can work with nature

The farm is part of the Future Forest Company woodland, a carbon capture project supported by a Scottish Woodland Creation grant, and is home to a rare breed of pig, the Mangalitza. Sometimes called “woolly pigs”, they’re an unusual sight in the UK.

At Brodoclea, pigs are not confined in sheds. Instead, they roam through 21 woodland paddocks in a system known as agroforestry. Here, they forage naturally, while the woodland also produces timber and locks in carbon. It’s a model that proves food, nature, and climate action can go hand in hand.

Higher-welfare, healthier animals

Farm managers David Carruth and Ken Porter report that pig mortality is negligible, with only one pig lost after six weeks of life across four years of farming. They’ve never had to call out a vet, for example, something Carruth attributes to the resilience of the Mangalitza breed and strong biosecurity.

Compared to the sickness and suffering on factory farms, this is a striking example of how giving animals more natural lives can also improve their health.

Browse photos of Brodoclea Farm:

Challenges and opportunities

Running pigs in woodland hasn’t been without difficulties. Fencing has been one of the biggest costs, with pigs proving far stronger than expected. The team experimented with electric fences but eventually settled on larch fencing made with timber from the site itself.

Despite the costs, the model shows huge promise. Brodoclea pork sells directly to consumers at around double the price of conventional pork, and pigs are also sold on to conservation projects. The farm is close to breaking even but when you add in the timber, carbon capture, biodiversity, and ecosystem services produced by the woodland, the wider value of the system is clear.

A vision for the future

Brodoclea shows how woodland pigs could become a “bolt-on” enterprise for other forestry projects. Instead of land being used for a single purpose, combining trees with livestock could create higher-welfare animal lives, stronger local food systems, and climate benefits.

As David Carruth puts it: “Legislation needs to be as flexible as the land is diverse.” Right now, grant schemes often don’t recognise the full benefits of innovative systems like this, especially where woodlands pre-date current support schemes. That needs to change if we’re serious about a farming future that works for animals, farmers, and the environment.

It’s time to rethink how land is used, move away from intensive factory farming, and support models that value animal welfare, people, and planet equally.