Gloucestershire’s Stroud brewery is making local pigs happy as it is supplying spent malt to a nearby community club to feed its porkers (above).

The used malt is a brewing by-product which also provides nutritious feed for the animals and a way for Stroud to reduce its waste and continue its community involvement.

Located just off of London Road in Thrupp, Gloucestershire, Charlea Gardens is home to three Gloucester Old Spot pigs. As piglets, they were bought by the Thrupp Community Pig Club from a local farmer and taken to their new secure and spacious paddock.

They are looked after for roughly six months by eight families who have purchased either a quarter or a half of a pig and share its care. This involves feeding the pigs and topping up their bath twice a day. It’s an opportunity for families to keep and look after the animals which will later provide them with a plentiful supply of pork products.

For the pigs, the used malt is a source of fibre and protein, while for owners it is a way for them to manage the costs.

“The malt helps us supplement their diet, meaning we need to buy less pig food, keeping the costs down,” said Thrupp Community Pig Project organiser Liz Gibson.

Stroud founder Greg Pilley said: “Malt’s an essential ingredient in beer making so there’s a lot of spent malt at the end of brewing. But this still contains a lot of nutrients and goodness, so we don’t want it to go to waste.

“Fortunately, there’s little risk of that as there are many local farmers who want it to feed their livestock. However, it’s great being able to donate some of it to help a community project just up the road from the brewery and enable people to take part in their local food cycle. This is just one of a number of ways that breweries ‘recycle’ their spent malt.”