Emma Cianchi's parents thought she might ask for a horse for her birthday. Instead, she said that she would quite like some piglets.

They were meant to be pets. But a year later, now aged 15, Emma is Britain's youngest pig farmer. Every morning before school she spends an hour mucking out and feeding her growing herd of rare-breed pigs and does the same after she returns.

Life is getting harder for small farmers but that has not deterred her. After starting with two Berkshire piglets for her 14th birthday, she is now breeding pigs in a field at the back of the family home at Preston-on-Wye, near Hereford. She has 20 rare-breed pigs but sentimentality is restricted to ensuring that their short lives are the nicest possible. Seven have already been dispatched to the abattoir and the meat sold to parents of school friends and even her teachers.

Emma is about to set up her own stall at Monmouth market in Gwent where she will sell sausages, bacon and joints of meat.

She decided to diversify from the teenager's usual occupations of homework and television after receiving her birthday present and attending a course on pig-rearing. She said: “At the time I just thought it would be great fun to have some pigs as pets but after the course I became really interested in helping to preserve British rare-breed pigs. The best way to do that was to farm them.

“I'm not sure what first attracted me to keeping these animals. It certainly wasn't the early mornings I would have to get used to, or the weird looks my friends would give me when I told them what I was doing and it definitely wasn't the money I would make - I'm still waiting for that. My friends think I'm mad.”

One of the original Berkshires recently produced a litter of six, which have joined a growing herd of old English breeds including Tamworths, saddlebacks and middle whites. In order to look after them she has to get up every morning at 6am. Members of Emma's family have become involved. Her father Peter, a project manager for a building company, puts together the arks the animals live in and her mother Anne set up a website, emmaspigs.co.uk.

Mrs Cianchi, a school bursar, said: “I thought that when we bought the field that maybe Emma might ask for a horse but it never crossed our minds she would want pigs. Because of her age we have had to register for VAT and things like that but to all intents and purposes it is her business.”

Looking after pigs means Emma has to get her hands dirty, from helping to deliver piglets to packaging the meat and sausages.

She said: “It is sad to see them go but on the other hand I know they have had a good life and by selling pork I'm raising interest and helping to preserve a rare breed. Without people buying the meat nobody would keep them. The meat is delicious and succulent compared with supermarket pork.”

Marcus Bates, chief executive of the British Pig Association, said that as far as he was aware Emma was Britain's youngest pig farmer.

He said: “Good luck to her. The average age of pig farmers is getting older and older and it is very difficult to get young people to come into the business. So youngsters coming into the industry is great news.”

Explore UK News

• Crime News

• Education News

• Health News

• Science News

• Scotland News

Times Recommends

• An officer and a gentle woman
• Dame Helen Mirren is worthy of the Epidaurus
• Foods that can help to prevent swine flu