Country diary: These grazing pigs are no match for wild rushes

Duisky, Highland: Kune kune pigs need grass, fruit and vegetables, but rushes are wiry and inedibleThe south boundary of our croft runs along a wide shelf of moorland, 150ft above sea level. Here, high above Loch Eil, your boots stand in bog myrtle and heather. But cross a stone wall, wade through bentgrass on the turn, and you will plunge, down and down through patches of woodland and pasture, until you level out at the shore. You might notice, as you brace your knees against the steeper slopes, that horizontal ground is scarce.So we were not spoiled for choice when we fenced off an area for our new arrivals, to add to the hens, polytunnel and veg patch: a pair of gingery-black kune kune piglets. Still, I feel guilty - all around their wee field is loose, luscious grass, but the flatter land within is thick with rushes. Continue reading...