From Pigs to Pork

I am just back from bringing the pigs to the abattoir. We use a small local place which is only 10 mins away so there is little or no stress on the pigs. That to me is very important as the last thing I want is for the pigs to be stressed at the end after going to such effort trying to ensure they have lived happy, stress free lives up to that point.
I always feel bad about bringing the poor pigs to be killed. They don't have a clue and happily root around as we load them up. I suppose that's the whole point, that they are so unaware of what is about to happen and that they root around and do what comes naturally right up until the end. I don't take for granted my right to eat meat at all and I think I have an obligation to try and make sure if I do eat meat it comes from animals who have lived happy natural lives and that when the time does come they are killed in a quick, humane way which does not cause them any stress.
I will go back to collect the offal and carcasses this afternoon. I will drop the pigs over to the butcher and then make pate with the liver. I will also eat the kidneys as we try to have use everything except the oink with our own pigs. I think if you are going to kill an animal to eat the least you can do is treat the animal with respect and use every last bit of it.