By Marc Louison
Published on
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Another story of professional retraining… Eric Viaux created a breeding black ass limousin pigsa pig renowned for its marbled meat, Montgesty“ The Coco Pigs“. It offers direct sales of meat and charcuterie. He will participate this summer in many markets organized in the Lot.
From masonry to pig farming
This is the story of a conversion. At 25, Éric Viaux left his native Franche-Comté for Lot. “I fell in love with the landscapes and the climate of the Lot. And set up as a mason in Floressas. With the idea of one day entering the world of agriculture. “I have always had an attraction for nature, culture, animals. I am from the earth. When I arrived in the Lot, my goal was to have animals. »
He took the plunge after buying an old farm in Montgesty with his wife. And started breeding Limousin black bottom pigs in July 2000.
On an area of 15 hectares, he raises between 40 and 45 pigs, no more. Eric Viaux has created parks of almost one hectare each. The pigs remain there, in the open air, for a period of 14 to 18 months, until maturity. » I buy the little ones at weaning at more than 8 weeks and I fatten them up. I put 10 little pigs per park. ”
This organization allows Éric Viaux to rotate the parks, in order to allow the vegetation to grow back after the passage of the pigs and not to damage the root system of the oaks too much. “Some parks will have been empty for almost 2 years. ”
The breeder gives his pigs a mixture of cereals and triticale, “a GMO-free feed”. Pigs also love the spent beer, provided by the craft brewery La Rapiette in Montcuq.
Direct sale
Éric Viaux offers meat packages (breast, ventrèche, pudding, Toulouse sausage, rind sausage, ribs, filet mignon, roast on demand), but also cured meats dried according to CE standards which he entrusts to a specialist (sausage, coppa, lomo, etc.), who also makes country pâtés, rillettes, blood sausage spread and rind pâté. He sends hams to the Bayonne Ham House in Arzacq-Arraziguet (64) to refine them. Charcuterie “without preservatives, without nitrite salts, without sugar, without lactose, just salt and pepper” specifies the breeder.
To make his products known, the breeder regularly participates in gourmet markets and fairs in the region. This summer, he will be present at the gourmet market in Puy-l’Evêque on Wednesday evenings and in Montcabrier on Fridays. We can also meet him at the festivals of Vire-sur-Lot and Assier.
Bed and breakfast project
Éric Viaux continues to practice his trade as a mason in parallel with breeding, to finance the launch of his business. He and his wife have a guest house project on the farm. He is starting the rehabilitation work of the old barn to fit out 4 bedrooms, which will open in June 2025.
Another project, the breeder wants to build a processing laboratory and a dryer on site.
Éric Viaux ensures that afterwards, he will no longer do masonry. And will only devote himself to breeding his black Limousin pigs, his passion.
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