This is a magnificent lop-eared pig which as its name suggests is large (very large), and black, (very black). It originates from South-west and Eastern England where it was kept to make a profit out of the waste from the main farming enterprise, either dairy, arable or orcharding. It is a hardy outdoor breed which grazes and forages well, gaining about 50% of its food intake from the field, and producing superb pork and bacon. Particularly well-suited to New Zealand outdoor conditions with its protective black skin, it grows well here producing lean porkers very quickly and on minimum supplementary feed compared to modern intensive pork systems. Indeed the Large Black used to be the pig of choice here for the dairy industry before large-scale intensive pig rearing became the fashion. In tests run by the British Meat and Livestock Commission the piglets of the Large Black have a higher daily weight gain than any other breed, thanks to the deep milking ability of the sow. With an average of 8-12 piglets per litter and longevity of 10-12 years these pigs put the meaning back into the word gilt (the name given to young female pigs).