Are there any traditional or modern uses of pig milk?

Is pig milk used for anything?

Its main use is the one nature gives it: feeding piglets. Farmers who raise piglets that have lost their mother use milk replacer designed to mimic sow’s milk, not milk collected from other sows. Sources describing human use are mostly popular articles, so the points below are general and not backed by a government or university page we could open.

Why don’t we drink pig milk?

• Hard to milk: sows have many small teats and do not stand to be milked like cows.
• Small yield: sources agree a sow gives far less milk per day than a dairy cow, though estimates vary, and she lets milk down only briefly.
• No machines or market: there is no established dairy industry or demand for it. Sows also cannot nurse and carry a new litter at the same time, so milking competes with raising piglets.

It is not that the milk is poisonous. Reports say it is safe in principle, but unpasteurized milk from any animal carries risk, and the NHS advises children, pregnant women, older people and unwell people to avoid raw milk.

Have people made cheese or food from it?

There are reports of small experimental batches of pig milk cheese made by chefs, but this is a novelty, not a food product you can buy.

Is there any traditional or medical use?

We found no official or academic source documenting a traditional or medicinal use of pig milk, and no health body recommends it. Do not use pig milk as a remedy. Ask a doctor or pharmacist about health concerns.

Is it safe for allergy sufferers?

Milk allergy can involve proteins shared across animals, so do not assume pig milk is a safe substitute. Ask an allergist.