About Small Black Pigs

Small Black, or Suffolk, Pigs are extinct pigs from the United Kingdom during the nineteenth century.

Their origin is uncertain, but most likely they were a cross between Essex pigs and foreign breeds in efforts to improve it. The Small Black closely resembled the, also now extinct, Small White, except they were black and had pricked ears and a short upturned snout - which indicates a contribution from imported Chinese pigs.

Small Black Pigs seem to have had a rather mixed reputation amongst agriculturalists. By the turn of the 20th century they were quickly becoming unpopular and they were said to have a delicate constitution and a too large percentage of fat, although it matured early.

They appear to have disappeared in the early 20th century, when they were eventually merged into the Large Black Pigs.