Between the risk of extinction and the trendy gourmet product. The black pig, the only native breed in the Canary Islands, exists in a challenging balance. Production in the Islands is limited, with only about 3,500 specimens, and the demand is steadily increasing. Farmers are delighted with the product’s success, but they are afraid of going overboard and not being able to meet the demand in the end. “We need to increase production because the demand is growing, and what we cannot do is promote consumption and then not have the product,” says Jesús Marrero, the president of the Association of Black Pig Breeders in the Canary Islands.
However, increasing production is not an easy task; the sector faces challenges like rising input costs or the lack of generational succession. These issues, combined with the fact that the development of the black pig is slower than that of other breeds, complicate the multiplication of specimens. An industrial pig can gain up to 100 kilograms in five months, while a black pig only gains 80 kilograms in ten months. “It’s a pig that takes time to mature,” explains Marrero, who ensures that specimens are usually sold when they reach 70 kilograms.
What makes this meat so special? The juiciness it gains from that slow rearing process. The expert explains that black pigs have more fat than other breeds, and this fat infiltrates the lean meat, similar to the Iberian pig, giving the meat more juiciness. “Normal pigs don’t even provide cracklings, they grow rapidly and a lot, that’s the difference with the Canarian breed,” adds Marrero. To develop correctly, black pigs are fed with ripe bananas, seasonal fruits, nuts, and feed.
The result of the slow growth process is a tastier meat that is gaining more and more followers. “Right now, it’s a gourmet product, it’s been trendy for two years, and many chefs are already opting for this meat to include it in their dishes,” says the president of the breeders’ association. Last weekend, the II Canary Black Pig Pinolere Fair was held in Tenerife, demonstrating the success the product is achieving in the Archipelago. “Everything was sold out; we put a pig for tasting, and it lasted only the time it took to cut it,” says Marrero. The same has happened at the recent gastronomic fairs held on the Peninsula, such as Madrid Fusión. Burgers, meatballs, sausages, and black pudding are just some of the products obtained from this breed that are very popular.
50 farms
Currently, there are about 50 farms that breed the native breed in the Archipelago, most of them concentrated in Tenerife, Gran Canaria, and Fuerteventura. These three islands account for 82% of the existing specimens. According to breeders’ association sources, in Fuerteventura, production has increased significantly in recent years linked to cheese production. “With a lot of goats and cheese, the waste produced by this serves as food for the black pigs, and farmers take advantage of it,” he explains. In contrast, Gran Canaria has experienced a decline in recent years. In just one year, from 2022 to 2023, the island lost 600 heads. A situation that Marrero relates to the rise in input costs.
The number of specimens in the Islands is variable as births and slaughters are registered every week, and the association is working hard to gain new partners since they acknowledge they “are not going through a good time.” “After the pandemic and the Ukraine war, we struggled a lot, we were in dire straits, but the subsidies from the councils and the Government of the Canary Islands were very helpful,” he points out. However, the sector is in a much better position than in the 80s when the breed was on the verge of extinction because there were only 80 specimens and 20 mothers in the entire community.
Now the breed is more stable, and it’s the farmers who oversee their production. Another characteristic that distinguishes the black pig from the rest of swine is its resistance to temperature changes, being, as experts point out, a hardy pig. The bristles – the hair of the specimens – allow the animal to withstand cold and heat very well, making it a “very robust” breed. “White pigs cannot resist the sun and have to be stabled,” points out Marrero.
The association is now fighting against intrusiveness in the sector and against the sale of other breeds in the Canary Islands passed off as black pigs. They are working with farmers and slaughterhouses to have complete control over the traceability of the animals. In this regard, they have already submitted documentation to the Government of the Canary Islands to obtain the “100% native breed” seal, which will require all black pig products sold in the Islands to have a badge differentiating them, just like with Canarian bananas.
Regarding the foreign market, it is still an unexplored path. “We don’t have enough production, and for now, the market we have under control is in the Canary Islands,” admits Marrero, who explains that many chefs from the Archipelago and the Peninsula place occasional orders for the product to include it in their recipes.
One of the pending tasks for farmers is to encourage new generations to fall in love with the breed and continue the legacy. Currently, there are not many young people interested in the sector, which is why the association is working with students from some Island schools by training them on farms through internship programs. “Some are enthusiastic, and that is essential because if there are no new generations, this will end in a few years,” laments Marrero, who ensures that the organization is willing to provide black pigs to these new breeders to start the work.
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