Our Animal Stewardship Standards and Practices
At Bellota Farms, everything we do comes down to a series of deliberate choices.
In a market where terms like “Ibérico,” “acorn-fed,” and “pasture-raised” are often used loosely, we believe clarity matters. Each decision below reflects how we raise our animals, why our farming practices produce a fundamentally different result, and why our animals are happy and healthy for the duration of their lives.
We Exceed Prop 12 Animal Welfare Standards for All Animals
Our pigs are not confined or restricted in their movement. They live in an open environment where they can roam, forage, and behave naturally throughout the day.
While some operations design systems to meet minimum welfare requirements, our farm is designed to allow our pigs to thrive.
The result is animals that are less stressed, more physically developed, and better suited to the environment they live in.
We Vaccinate Against Preventable Diseases
In an extensive system, exposure to disease through wildlife, water, and soil is unavoidable. Our farm is part of an ecosystem that includes native and migratory birds, coyotes, fox, mountain lions, bears, reptiles, and even wolves. Choosing not to vaccinate in this environment does not eliminate risk; it shifts it onto the animal.
Some farms take pride in avoiding vaccines entirely. We take pride in preventing avoidable illness, following the science, and doing all we can to keep our herd healthy.
We Do Not Sell Ibérico Pigs for Breeding.
Spain exported just six breeding lines of Iberian pigs to the USA between 2014-2017. Since that time, breeding practices and record-keeping have not been maintained accurately. Livestock producers are selling off “breeding stock” without considering the consequences of inbreeding and, at a macro-level, the impending collapse of the genetic pool. Our focus is building up genetic diversity, not diluting it.
Considering buying “breeding stock” elsewhere? Some important considerations.
We Never Crossbreed and Never, Ever Allow “Line Breeding”
We are committed to breeding only Iberian pigs for the long term health of the breed. This means that we never cross with another type of pig like a Duroc - in fact, we don’t have anything but Iberico on our farm.
We also never allow for “linebreeding,” which is breeding closely related pigs like uncle/niece, brother/sister, or close cousins with each other (usually done when there is little diversity left on an individual farm).
This ensures a healthy population and results in authentic, high quality meat.
We Use DNA Testing to Guide Breeding Decisions
We use DNA-based relatedness testing to ensure every pairing maintains real genetic distance. Today, most American Iberico breeding decisions are made without verified data, relying instead on loose records that have never been centralized for the breed. While Ibérico farmers may have the best of intentions, they simply don’t have the data required to confidently breed for diversity across generations.
This process requires patience, careful attention to detail, and intentional herd management.
We Limit Breeding Frequency and Foster Maternal Well Being
In commercial systems, females are pushed for maximum output to improve efficiency and revenue. Nursing piglets are pulled from mothers after a few weeks, and mama is immediately re-bred, having nearly 3 litters each year. We do it differently.
In general, our mothers rear one litter per calendar year, timed for summer births after grazing all Spring. Piglets stay with mama and nurse for about 3 months. A mother pig should have no more than 3-4 litters across her lifetime as we prioritize her recovery, longevity, and overall welfare.