Diana Saaman left the big city of Rotterdam 15 years ago to start a small pig farm “Frank and Frij” where she could produce meat from pigs that were not confined in dark and boring environments as often found on factory farms.
Tired of limited options in the supermarket, she put her animal-welfare ideals into practice. As long as people wanted to eat meat, the animals need to be treated with respect and enjoy each day to its fullest. Together with her young daughter of 10 and a part-time volunteer she runs the free-range pig farm where 100 pigs get treated the way they should- as intelligent and curious creatures. The tails of her pigs are left on, the pigs have access to the indoors and outdoors, plenty of bedding is available, natural light and fresh air, animals are kept in balanced groups and can perform such behaviours as sun and mud-bathing, foraging, nest-building and digging as much as they want.
Today a team from Eyes on Animals together with two friends from the livestock industry that also really care, visited Diana to bring her Mother’s Day gifts (a basket of welfare-friendly dairy products from De Regte Heiden farm near Tilburg where cows and calves are raised together in a lovely setting, flowers and a vegan picnic-lunch). We wish Diana much success with her business. If animals were raised in such conditions by such people as Diana, and people ate meat less frequently but were prepared to spend a bit more for the better quality, this world would be a much better place! It is important farms like this one are supported to show the industry which direction it should go in.
For people that want to be sure their meat comes from responsible and honest farmers that provide a rich life for their animals, please visit her website to purchase products from her farm:
Frank and Frij free-range pig farm
