Yorkshire Pig

A British pig breed properly called the Large White, developed from the old Large Yorkshire breed of Yorkshire in northern England; during the nineteenth century breeders crossed the original long-legged, heavy-boned Yorkshire pigs with Chinese imports, producing three related types, of which the Large White carried the least Chinese influence, alongside the Small White and Middle White. The breed gained formal recognition in 1868 and a herd book followed in 1884, after pigs of this type had already been exhibited at the Royal Agricultural Show in Windsor as early as 1851; it has since been exported worldwide and gave rise to the American Yorkshire in North America, the name under which it is generally known there. Large White pigs are white with erect ears and a slightly dished face, and sows farrow large litters and produce abundant milk, making the breed valuable for breeding. It is now among the most numerous of all pig breeds and is widely used in crossbreeding for intensive pig farming worldwide, despite having originally been developed as an outdoor breed.