---
title: "What the sources say about the Gloucestershire Old Spot Pig | AnimalTracks.wiki"
description: "35 claims from the Gloucestershire Old Spot Pig profile, each beside the words of the source that backs it."
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canonical: "https://animaltracks.wiki/animals/gloucestershire-old-spot/sources/"
---

# What the sources say about the Gloucestershire Old Spot Pig (*Sus domesticus*)

> 35 claims from the Gloucestershire Old Spot Pig profile, each beside the words of the source that backs it. A "..." marks a cut in a quote and [brackets] an insertion.

Profile: [Gloucestershire Old Spot Pig](https://animaltracks.wiki/animals/gloucestershire-old-spot/)

## Gloucestershire Old Spot. Rare Breeds Survival Trust, Watchlist.

https://www.rbst.org.uk/watchlist-breed/gloucestershire-old-spot/

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| Large lop ears, black spots on white, and a history of feeding on windfall fruit in English orchards. | notable for its white coat marked with distinct black spots, lop ears ... was historically kept in orchards (note: windfall fruit from livestock-conservancy-gos: "thriving on dairy by-products (whey), windfall fruits in orchards, and cider pressings"; "Large" from the same RBST page: "large, lop ears that nearly cover the face when mature") |
| comes from around the Berkeley Vale, on the southern shore of the River Severn in Gloucestershire, England | The Gloucestershire Old Spots originated around the Berkeley Vale on the southern shore of the River Severn and was frequently kept in orchards. |
| The Rare Breeds Survival Trust calls it the oldest pedigree spotted pig in the world, because no other pedigree spotted breed was recorded before 1913 | it is the oldest pedigree spotted pig in the world ... No other pedigree spotted breed was recorded before 1913, so today's Gloucestershire Old Spot is the oldest such breed in the world (note: "because" restates the source's own "so") |
| In 2010 the Gloucestershire Old Spots Pig Breeders' Club was awarded Traditional Speciality Guaranteed status by the EU Commission, an official label recognising the special qualities of the breed's meat | in recognition of the special qualities of its meat Produce In 2010, the Gloucestershire Old Spots Pig Breeders’ Club was awarded Traditional Speciality Guaranteed status by the EU Commission |
| The Gloucestershire Old Spot was the first breed of any species in the world to receive it. | The Gloucestershire Old Spot was the first breed of any species in the world to be accorded Traditional Speciality Guaranteed status by the EU Commission |
| This is a large-bodied breed. | The Gloucestershire Old Spot is a historic, large-bodied pig breed |
| A white coat carries distinct black spots on black skin | notable for its white coat marked with distinct black spots ... The black spots are distinct on black skin, though white predominates. |
| its forward-drooping lop ears, set well apart, are large enough to nearly cover the face by adulthood | large, lop ears that nearly cover the face when mature ... forward-drooping ears set well apart |
| Sows typically weigh around 280 kg and boars about 350 kg | Sows typically weigh around 280 kg and boars about 350 kg |
| The Rare Breeds Survival Trust notes the breed's excellent grazing ability | The Gloucestershire Old Spot is noted for its excellent grazing ability. |
| Rooting tends to stay in patches, and areas with plenty of acorns, nuts and berries are usually the favourites | Rooting tends to be localised but not always predictable ... Areas with abundant acorns, nuts, and berries are usually favoured above all others |
| Digging can kill off unwanted plants, but the bare ground it leaves can let preferred plants take hold, which benefits certain invertebrates and reptiles | Rooting effects can not only kill or remove unwanted plant species, but the bare ground created can provide opportunities for natural regeneration and encourage the establishment of preferred plant species, benefiting certain invertebrates and reptiles. |
| The breed is popular for its reputation for high-quality meat, but the number of pedigree animals has been declining in recent years | The breed is popular due to its reputation for high quality meat production, however the number of pedigree animals has been declining in recent years. |
| The Rare Breeds Survival Trust lists the Gloucestershire Old Spot as "At Risk" on its UK Watchlist, with a female breeding population estimated at just 424 animals in 2024 | Gloucestershire Old Spot At Risk view all pigs ... the breed remains rare, with a female breeding population estimated at just 424 in 2024 (note: the page's navigation names the 2026-27 Watchlist of "all native livestock and equine breeds in the UK") |
| Not Evaluated | The Gloucestershire Old Spot is a historic, large-bodied pig breed (note: GBIF has no IUCN Red List category for Sus domesticus, the domestic breed this profile covers; the Least Concern assessment in the source pack (https://doi.org/10.2305/iucn.uk.2025-1.rlts.t41775a215861797.en) is for the wild ancestor, Sus scrofa, and must not be cited here. Not Evaluated follows the alpaca precedent for domestic breeds with no assessment; RBST's own "At Risk" watchlist category (a breed-conservation category, not an IUCN one) is cited separately in the body and FAQ.) |
| Large: they are one of the features that distinguish the breed. | The Gloucestershire Old Spot is a large, white pig distinguished by at least one clear black spot and large, lop ears (note: "at least" qualifies the spot count, which this sentence does not state) |
| Its lop ears are set well apart and droop forward, and by the time a pig is grown they nearly cover its face. | large, lop ears that nearly cover the face when mature ... forward-drooping ears set well apart (note: rooting for acorns/grubs from rbst-gloucestershire-old-spot and gospbu-faq, both quoted above) |
| the Rare Breeds Survival Trust lists it as 'At Risk' on its UK Watchlist, with a female breeding population estimated at just 424 animals in 2024, and says the breed remains rare despite its qualities | Despite its qualities, the breed remains rare, with a female breeding population estimated at just 424 in 2024 |
| a large-bodied pig whose sows typically weigh around 280 kg and boars about 350 kg | The Gloucestershire Old Spot is a historic, large-bodied pig breed ... Sows typically weigh around 280 kg and boars about 350 kg |

## Gloucestershire Old Spots. The Livestock Conservancy.

https://livestockconservancy.org/gloucestershire-old-spots-pig/

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| That was the year local farmers, worried that a government plan to license breeding boars threatened their local pig, formed the Gloucestershire Old Spots Breed Society and compiled an official herd book | In 1913, the British Board of Agriculture announced a livestock development plan that included the licensing of breeding boars. Farmers of the Berkley Vale realized this plan threatened the existence of their beloved local pig breed, so in November 1913 they formed the Gloucestershire Old Spots Breed Society and compiled an official herd book. |
| The pigs themselves were first mentioned in English writing around 1790 | GOS pigs were first mentioned in English literature around 1790. |
| The breed was common on small family farms, where it thrived on whey from dairying, windfall fruit in orchards, and cider pressings. These gave it the nicknames "cottage pig" and "orchard pig." | the GOS was common on small family farms, thriving on dairy by-products (whey), windfall fruits in orchards, and cider pressings. These gave the pigs the nicknames “cottage pig” and “orchard pig.” |
| The breed is known for its calm, docile nature and its hardiness when raised outdoors | Gloucestershire Old Spot pigs (GOS), are recognizable by their distinctive white coats with black spots, large lop ears, and their docile nature ... The Gloucestershire Old Spots pig is known for its calm nature, ease of handling, and its hardiness in outdoor rearing conditions. |
| British folklore claims the breed's large black spots were bruises left by apples falling on the pigs as they foraged in the orchards | British folklore claims the large black spots were bruises caused by apples falling onto them as they foraged the orchards for food. |
| Orchards and pasture; thought to have been developed in the Vale of Berkeley, Gloucestershire, England, and also bred in the United States | The breed is thought to have been developed in the Vale of Berkeley in Gloucestershire, England ... Preservation efforts in Britain and American are ongoing (note: orchards from rbst-gloucestershire-old-spot ("was frequently kept in orchards") and pasture from its "excellent grazing ability"; US breeding also stated as "a breed organization called Gloucester Old Spots of America, Inc., was founded to maintain the breed") |
| Windfall fruit, cider pressings, dairy whey, pasture forage, and worms and grubs rooted from the ground | thriving on dairy by-products (whey), windfall fruits in orchards, and cider pressings (note: pasture forage and worms/grubs from gospbu-faq ("more attractive food underground, such as worms and grubs, than the choice of forage offered to them")) |
| A calm, hardy build suited to outdoor rearing | The Gloucestershire Old Spots pig is known for its calm nature, ease of handling, and its hardiness in outdoor rearing conditions. |
| Because of what it ate. The breed was common on small family farms, where it thrived on whey from dairying, windfall fruit in orchards, and cider pressings, and these gave it the nicknames 'cottage pig' and 'orchard pig.' | the GOS was common on small family farms, thriving on dairy by-products (whey), windfall fruits in orchards, and cider pressings. These gave the pigs the nicknames “cottage pig” and “orchard pig.” (note: "Because" restates the source's "These gave the pigs the nicknames") |
| tags: agricultural | the GOS was common on small family farms, thriving on dairy by-products (whey), windfall fruits in orchards, and cider pressings (note: replaces woodland: RBST says "frequently kept in orchards" and "excellent grazing ability"; no source places it in temperate forest) |

## New Breeder Information (FAQ). Gloucestershire Old Spots Pig Breeders United.

https://gospbu.org/new-breeder-info/

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| A US breed registry adds that if there is tastier food underground, such as worms and grubs, than the forage on offer, the pigs will root | If there is more attractive food underground, such as worms and grubs, than the choice of forage offered to them, they will root. (note: GOSPBU is a US registry: "The Livestock Conservancy will work with us as a recognized GOS pig breed association and registry"; its address is Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA. "(dig with their snouts)" defines the term rooting) |
| How long the pigs live is uncertain: one US breed registry calls it a difficult question, and says Old Spots have kept breeding until about nine years old, though many will not reach that age. | How old will a GOS pig live or be reproductive? This is a difficult question to answer. Old spots have been reproductive to 9 years or so. Many will not reach that age, or be able to reproduce that long. (note: "kept breeding until about nine" paraphrases "have been reproductive to 9 years or so"; it is a breeding age, not a lifespan) |
| a snout that roots underground for worms and grubs | If there is more attractive food underground, such as worms and grubs, than the choice of forage offered to them, they will root. |
| Gloucestershire Old Spots Pig Breeders United, a US breed registry, calls it a difficult question: Old Spots have kept breeding until about nine years old, though many will not reach that age, and more data needs to be collected. | How old will a GOS pig live or be reproductive? This is a difficult question to answer. Old spots have been reproductive to 9 years or so. Many will not reach that age, or be able to reproduce that long. More data needs to be collected on this topic. (note: "kept breeding until about nine" paraphrases "have been reproductive to 9 years or so"; it is a breeding age, not a lifespan) |
| tags: omnivore | If there is more attractive food underground, such as worms and grubs, than the choice of forage offered to them, they will root. (note: animal food; the plant side is livestock-conservancy-gos: "thriving on dairy by-products (whey), windfall fruits in orchards, and cider pressings") |
| which roots through the soil for worms and grubs | If there is more attractive food underground, such as worms and grubs, than the choice of forage offered to them, they will root. |