Chris's 850 sows are a cross between Durocs (a red droopy-eared breed of American origin) and Landrace (a sleeker, white, long-snouted breed). Durocs are renowned for their good eating quality and hardiness and Landrace for their mothering ability, so it's a good combination for producing high-quality free-range pork.

What's life like for the pigs on your farm?

For most of the day they're out and about, having a root around in the grass and picking up some of the minerals they need in their diet. Our fields are divided into small paddocks where the piglets like to run around – discovering the world, enjoying the outdoor life and playing with other litters.

Each sow gives birth in spacious straw-bedded accommodation. If you have the correct amount of straw it helps avoid the sow lying on piglets accidentally. We have a range of housing for our pigs – arcs made from corrugated metal, tent-like structures made from white tarpaulin for the pregnant sows, and plywood huts with steel roofs where the piglets are born. Our piglets stay with us until weaning, and after that we sell them on to another farm for finishing.

Who else works with you, and who does what?

I employ two stockmen. David takes care of the breeding side and Paul looks after farrowing – making sure our sows can give birth and raise their litters safely and comfortably. I sort of float in between. Between us each year we rear about 20,000 piglets, which eventually produce about 1,500 tonnes of meat.

Why did you choose pig farming, and why free range?

There's a lower capital cost to get established as an outdoor pig farmer because you don't need such expensive buildings and equipment. I also keep my pigs outdoors because I like to think there's a market for high-welfare animals. I enjoy the variety that every day brings. I could be moving livestock around, or vaccinating them, doing a bit of welding to make a job easier, or keeping my records up to date on the computer.

You're not only a Red Tractor farmer but also a member of the board that runs Assured British Pigs and helps to develop its standards. Why is the Red Tractor so important to you?

We're producing food, and it's important that food is produced to high standards. Assured British Pigs is the scheme I'm inspected under to ensure I'm meeting Red Tractor standards. I'm also certified under the RSPCA's Freedom Foods animal welfare standards.

The Red Tractor standards require that we do what should almost be second nature – things like having the right stocking rates in our paddocks and huts, ensuring that feed is stored correctly, keeping up with our paperwork and disposing of waste properly rather than burning it or burying it in the ground. We have to have evidence that we're doing all these things, and evidence of quarterly visits by the vet to check on the health and welfare of our pigs.

I think it's very important to support British agriculture, and the Red Tractor gives the assurance that the food the consumer buys actually comes from British farms. It's also important to look after the environment as Red Tractor standards require. I'm quite keen on the local wildlife, and it's nice to see birds like the rare stone curlews that nest quite freely in the vicinity of our pigs.