A Dutch animal rights organisation has awarded a prize for the best mudbath of the year.
 
Lucky porkers on an organic pig farm in the east of the Netherlands have one of the most spacious and luxurious quagmires in the country, complete with their own beach.

The farm in the village of Fleringen near the German border, owned by Marianne and Joop Hendriksen, went organic in 2000 after Marianne had complained about the lack of space for their pigs and cows. The cows went and the indoor pig pens made room for spacious, open stables where the 250 pigs can wander freely. The floors are covered in fresh straw.

Sunburned
But the pigs are also free to go outside when they want to, where Marianne and Joop  dug two large quagmires. "The first year we didn't have the mudbaths, but the pigs all got sunburned", Marianne says. "So the year after we created these mudbaths. The water is good for their skin, but the thick layer of mud also protects them from parasites".
 
And the pigs love the mud and the water. As soon as they are led into the large field behind the stables where the pools have been dug, the animals immediately wade through the water and cover themselves in mud.
 
But there is more - they even have their own beach, which the pigs created themselves.

"We were building a new stable and so we had a huge pile of sand lying here", Marianne says. "The pigs started to dig into the sand and slowly large parts of the field were covered in fine, white sand. They liked it so much that we kept it that way".

Happy animals
Organic pig farming doesn't only mean the animals have more breathing space or a private beach. "We don't use chemicals, obviously", says Marianne. "But we also refuse to cut the pigs' tails and teeth, which is very common in the large, industrial pig farms. It does lead to better meat in the end, but more importantly it leads to happier animals".

Hard work
Being an organic farmer is not always easy in the Netherlands, the Hendriksens say. "The money is not really a problem, but it's very hard work - more than on a regular farm. We also use a lot of straw and the stables need a lot of cleaning. We generally work for at least ten hours a day".
 
So there's not much time left to spend on the beach themselves. "But who needs that when you see those pigs enjoying themselves", Marianne laughs. "Look now, they are all relaxing in the pool. They're so happy. And a happy pig makes me happy!".
 

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