But eight years later and after four years of operation they have proven that it can be done – and profitably so.

The Ladners first investigated free range pork after a family succession plan saw them with the reins of the Goondiwindi property, Gooralie, in 1999.

They were looking to diversify beyond straight grain production and mitigate the climate and drought risks that were already evident then.

They saw pigs as one of the most efficient feed converters, and likewise, drew the connection that people had a growing awareness of how their food was produced.

Thus the idea of the free range piggery was born, making it just the second RSPCA accredited piggery of its kind in Australia and the first in Queensland.

The aim was to produce a free-range equivalent pork with standard breeds, rather than opt for niche breeds and potentially alienate mainstream markets.

They use a Landrace/White Race cross sow put to Meat master boars based on CEFN genetics, so they were worried that sunburn would be an issue. But with plenty of wallowing holes, mud and dust, the pigs are as happy as, well, "pigs in mud".

The piggery runs 800 sows with a perimeter fence covering 200 hectares of the property. Mating, gestation and birth takes place in a series of paddocks, with the sows giving birth within specially designed huts that allow for free movement but also protect the piglets from predators.

Once sows have been mated over an eight week period, they are then separated to the gestation area, before finally moving to the pre-farrowing area. They then receive an e.coli vaccination and move to their own birthing hut, complete with a blanket of straw, and with eight or nine huts per paddock.

The piglets are then moved into eco shelters for the production phase, where they have shelter and a controlled ration, with the ability to exhibit normal behaviour at all times (which is one of the RSPCA’s ‘five freedoms’).