History

The Middle White Breed was established in 1852 by Mr Joseph Tulley, a weaver from Keighley in Yorkshire. At the Keighley Agricultural Show in 1852 there were classes scheduled for Large Whites and Small Whites. Mr Tulley exhibited pigs that were in fact a cross between the Large White and Small White breeds and the judge considered the pigs to be not big enough to compete with the Large Whites and too big to compete with the Small Whites. However he considered the Tulley pigs to be of such excellent quality that a meeting was called and a new section was introduced and named the Middle White Breed.Pedigree records of all pure Middle Whites can be traced back to 1884 when the first Herd Book was published by the National Pig Breeds Association.

From the outset the breed has always been recognised for its outstanding quality as a pork pig and for its succulent flavour. Between the first two World Wars the Middle White breed was the first choice for butchers, particularly in London, where the trade demanded top quality pork from a lightweight carcass. After the Second World War government policy directed all pigs towards the bacon market and therefore the specialist pork breeds became less popular.

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