Gloucestershire Tourist Guide - Articles

An 'icon' of the county is The Gloucester Old Spot Pig, an English breed which is predominantly white with black spots. It is named after the county and is a very popular breed. Owing to consumer pressure pigs have been increasingly reared outdoors in the UK. In these conditions, old breeds well-suited to living outdoors, such as the Gloucester Old Spot, have increasingly been chosen by farmers looking to add value to their products.

The Gloucester Old Spot Pig is traditionally an orchard pig. They were pastured in orchards where they ate drop apples. They are good foragers and survive very well in pastures without supplemental feed. Old Spots tend to be very calm, good natured animals, another trait that makes them desireable to homesteaders and small farmers. The females tend to be very devoted mothers, while the males seldom pose a threat to piglets.

The "Gloucester Old Spot" is also the name of a public house at Piff's Elm, while Uley Brewery has both an ale and a public house in Dursley named "Old Spot" after the pig.