Calendar An icon of a desk calendar. Cancel An icon of a circle with a diagonal line across. Caret An icon of a block arrow pointing to the right. Email An icon of a paper envelope. Facebook An icon of the Facebook "f" mark. Google An icon of the Google "G" mark. Linked In An icon of the Linked In "in" mark. Logout An icon representing logout. Profile An icon that resembles human head and shoulders. Telephone An icon of a traditional telephone receiver. Tick An icon of a tick mark. Is Public An icon of a human eye and eyelashes. Is Not Public An icon of a human eye and eyelashes with a diagonal line through it. Pause Icon A two-lined pause icon for stopping interactions. Quote Mark A opening quote mark. Quote Mark A closing quote mark. Arrow An icon of an arrow. Folder An icon of a paper folder. Breaking An icon of an exclamation mark on a circular background. Camera An icon of a digital camera. Caret An icon of a caret arrow. Clock An icon of a clock face. Close An icon of the an X shape. Close Icon An icon used to represent where to interact to collapse or dismiss a component Comment An icon of a speech bubble. Comments An icon of a speech bubble, denoting user comments. Comments An icon of a speech bubble, denoting user comments. Ellipsis An icon of 3 horizontal dots. Envelope An icon of a paper envelope. Facebook An icon of a facebook f logo. Camera An icon of a digital camera. Home An icon of a house. Instagram An icon of the Instagram logo. LinkedIn An icon of the LinkedIn logo. Magnifying Glass An icon of a magnifying glass. Search Icon A magnifying glass icon that is used to represent the function of searching. Menu An icon of 3 horizontal lines. Hamburger Menu Icon An icon used to represent a collapsed menu. Next An icon of an arrow pointing to the right. Notice An explanation mark centred inside a circle. Previous An icon of an arrow pointing to the left. Rating An icon of a star. Tag An icon of a tag. Twitter An icon of the Twitter logo. Video Camera An icon of a video camera shape. Speech Bubble Icon A icon displaying a speech bubble WhatsApp An icon of the WhatsApp logo. Information An icon of an information logo. Plus A mathematical 'plus' symbol. Duration An icon indicating Time. Success Tick An icon of a green tick. Success Tick Timeout An icon of a greyed out success tick. Loading Spinner An icon of a loading spinner. Facebook Messenger An icon of the facebook messenger app logo. Facebook An icon of a facebook f logo. Facebook Messenger An icon of the Twitter app logo. LinkedIn An icon of the LinkedIn logo. WhatsApp Messenger An icon of the Whatsapp messenger app logo. Email An icon of an mail envelope. Copy link A decentered black square over a white square.

Meet William, the 17-year-old Banffshire farmer who is outstanding in his field

William launched his business Pork Fae The Park last October.

William Duncan Auchnie. Image: Wullie Marr/DC Thomson
William Duncan Auchnie. Image: Wullie Marr/DC Thomson

Banffshire entrepreneur William Duncan Auchnie should in no way take his talents for grunted.

The 17-year-old has achieved so much in such little time. Since launching his business Pork Fae The Park last October, its growth has been incredible – and the only way is up.

“I have loved farming from a very young age,” he says. “My father [Wull] has inspired me from day one. Without him, I could have never achieved what I have so far.

“He has farmed cattle and sheep for three decades.”

Pigs in a pigpen.
Pork Fae The Park sells a range of pork, lamb and chicken-based products. Image: Wullie Marr/DC Thomson

It all started when William, from Drummuir, was gifted three Gloucestershire Old Spot pigs for his seventh birthday. And this love for the field inspired his career goals.

Pork Fae The Park sells home-reared pork, lamb and chicken, all of which are sold in affordable bulk meat packs, over the counter and at farmers’ markets.

The business has two locations. Its on-farm butchery facility is located in Drummuir, while the pigs are based in Rothienorman at the family’s second farm.

Undeniable growth of Pork Fae The Park

When Pork Fae The Park was set in motion, the young talent had four sows, one stock boar and 40 pigs that went to slaughter.

William said: “I have increased my numbers slightly. I have now got 12 breeding sows, two boars and roughly 150 pigs heading towards the food chain.”

Not only has the business owner’s stock increased, but his product range has too.

William Duncan Auchnie founder of Pork Fae The Park butchery.
William has always loved farming. Image: Wullie Marr/DC Thomson

In the beginning, this included original pork sausages, pork shoulder roast, gigot roasts, pork chops, pork loin chops, boneless pork steaks, pork ribs, pork belly and pork sausage rolls, to name a few.

“I now sell lamb and hogget as well as home reared chickens,” he added.

“They are slightly more work but I enjoy supplying them as home reared chickens are hard to find in the area.

Pig eating hay.
The business was launched in October 2022. Image: Wullie Marr/DC Thomson

“I also sell mangalitsa pork, which is very popular for its distinctive taste. They are slightly slower growing.

“Pork Fae The Park has some new pork boxes to suit to summer weather too. I launched my new barbecue box a few weeks ago and it has proven very popular for its great value and wide selection. There is something for everyone.”

Fans of the business can also expect free range bronze turkeys from Pork Fae The Park ahead of the festive period.

Farming is in William’s nature

William’s daily roles include everything from feeding and butchering the pigs to packaging and labelling his products and distributing orders.

While every day is different, the 17-year-old works roughly 45 hours per week.

“I enjoy rearing my produce and watching them grow,” says William.

“I also like processing and selling the meat to local customers and local businesses and telling them where it comes from.”

Meat lovers can find more information on Pork Fae The Park on Facebook to browse the full selection of products, as well as call 07762 758412 for any queries.

William with a drove of pigs at his farm in Banffshire.
William’s pigs are located at his family’s second farm in Rothienorman. Image: Wullie Marr/DC Thomson

Highland Premier Country Meats, a mobile butchers van service run by William’s mum Anne, also offers plenty of opportunity to sample the business’ goods out for yourself.

William went on to say: “I have been looking into UK-wide delivery to further expand the business.

“I’m also looking into having a mobile butchers shop on wheels so that I can visit local villages to share the taste of the products without having to purchase a large quantity.

“I can’t ever see myself doing anything other than farming. I truly enjoy what I do day-to-day and hearing peoples’ opinions on the produce.”