This article was original published in The Land on September 18, 2025.
PURE AND SIMPLE:
Organic farmers recognised for top-tasting, sustainably produced pork
BY KATE O’NEILL
A COMMITMENT to producing what they describe as ‘unadulterated, ethical and sustainable’ pork is paying off for small-scale pig farmers Emily Pierce and Glen Moir.
Five years since they established their organic pig farm Le Bon Terroir D’emj near Tenterfield in the state’s north, the couple are being rewarded for their efforts with glowing reviews, collaboration with one of Australia’s top smallgoods manufacturers, and industry recognition as a state winner in the 2025 Delicious Produce Awards.
CLEAN MEAT
Ms Pierce and Mr Moir bought their 337 hectare property at Boonoo Boonoo in 2019.
Ms Pierce grew up on a cattle farm and Mr Moir’s grandparents were organic pig farmers and gardeners, and it was a dream come true to finally have their own place.
It was a rough start, however, as the devastating bushfires of 2019 burnt through their place just as they were buying it.
A bridge providing the only access to the farm was destroyed and had to be rebuilt by Mr Moir before they could even think about the next steps.
The couple initially wanted to focus on agritourism, which remains part of their plan, but they’ve decided to make the pork side of the business their priority.
Mr Moir said they also saw a gap in the market for organic pork. “People are seeking cleaner meats. And particularly ones that haven’t had any antibiotics, vaccinations or any human input whatsoever.
“Pork has a reputation for being not so clean, and a lot of people don’t want to eat it, so we decided to create clean, healthy pork.”
The organic approach also aligned with their principles. “We see it as the only way to return the health of the country, the fauna, and in turn the health of humanity,” Ms Pierce said.
Because their property is bordered by three National Parks, and was virtually untouched by any previous agricultural activities, they were able to fast-track their organic certification process from three years to one.
Much of the block is forested, and the couple plans on keeping it that way.
The pigs are run on a mixture of grasses, with trees for shade and plenty of areas to wallow.
SETTING IT UP
Mr Moir designed and built the paddocks from scratch after the bushfires.
The area around the property is home to populations of feral pigs, so an exclusion fence was the first big job.
“Then inside that exclusion fence we created an electrified fence to create a four-metre buffer between any feral herds and our own pigs to avoid any cross-contamination or any pathogens,” Mr Moir said.
They started with English Large Blacks and Wessex Saddlebacks, known for producing full-flavoured meat with more fat than commercial pigs: “The fat is great for cooking, flavour and keeping the meat moist during cooking.” Ms Pierce said.
More recently, they introduced Duroc and Hampshire genetics to develop a second, leaner line of animals to satisfy customers looking for a less fatty style of pork.
Their herd, which now numbers about 100, is rotationally grazed in separate paddocks, with each paddock given a six-month spell to break any parasite cycles.
Early on, they had some losses from the bacterial infection, swine erysipelas, but Mr Moir said he discovered
a way, using epigenetics, to breed out the weaker immune animals to stronger animals that are now immune to the diseases. All of their animals remain antibiotic and vaccination-free.
In addition to the grasses and roots they forage on, the pigs are fed an organic ration that contains biochar, which helps keep their gut healthy – and adds carbon to the soil.
GROWING MARKET
Le Bon Terroir L’emj supplies wholesale to butchers from the Sunshine Coast to Sydney, including Eumundi Meats, Noosaville, Locavore Organic, Byron Bay and The Meat Emporium in Elanora Heights in Sydney.
Earlier this year, they began a collaboration with renowned artisan smallgoods producers De Palma Salumi
in Sydney.
De Palma, known for making charcuterie the traditional Italian way, is creating a range of traditional smallgoods for Le Bon Terroir L’Emj using their organic pork, which Ms Pierce and Mr Moir are about to launch to market.
ABATTOIR ISSUES
Maintaining a consistent supply has been a challenge, especially since the spike in interest in their product post-Delicious Awards.
Their heritage breeds take eight to nine months to reach full size, as opposed to the three or so months of a mainstream piggery, so they’ve started a waiting list for their new customers as they gradually scale up production.
Like many other smallscale producers, they’ve also recently hit a stumbling block with abattoir access.
Until recently, their pigs were processed at Booyong abattoir, but last month, they were told they would require APIQ Certification to continue using the facility.
APIQ Certification is a quality assurance program run by the industry body Australian Pork, designed to provide customers with assurance that high standards are in place in relation to
on-farm management, food safety, animal welfare, biosecurity, and traceability.
Ms Pierce and Mr Moir said their organic certification already covered these assurances and, up until that point, was accepted by the abattoir, but they were forced to look for an alternative abattoir, just as they approached their busiest time of year.
Their pigs are now being processed at Stanthorpe, and Ms Pierce said they are in talks with organic producers in Queensland and are hopeful of eventually setting up a micro-abattoir in a cooperative arrangement.
DIFFERENT PRODUCT
Many of Le Bon Terroir D’emj’s customers are foodies or chefs who understand the difference between heritage and conventional pork.
However, regular consumers often have to be educated.
“A lot of them haven’t ever had anything bar supermarket pork.” Ms Pierce said.
“So the taste is a bit different… but we’re trying to say this is what real, pure pork should taste like.”
Mr Moir said it was encouraging to see their hard work recognised in this year’s Delicious Awards. “Our feeling as well was, ‘wow, this pork is amazing’, you know, compared to what you get in shops. And having that confirmed by, you know, leaders in the industry, has helped us to know we’re on the right track.
“We’re in it to produce quality. Unadulterated, ethical and sustainable quality.”
