New Forest pannage: why pigs roam the Forest each autumn

When the pigs come to the New Forest

Date

17 / 08/ 2026

Category

New Park Manor

If you spot pigs wandering through the New Forest this autumn, they are not lost. They are doing a very particular job.

It is called pannage, one of the Forest’s oldest traditions and one that still happens every autumn. This year pannage begins on 14th September.

For centuries, New Forest commoners have turned pigs out onto the open Forest under an ancient right known as the Common of Mast.

Why pigs?

Because acorns can be harmful to the ponies and cattle that graze the Forest, while pigs can eat them quite happily.

So, as the acorns begin to fall, the pigs are released to forage beneath the trees. Along the way they also make short work of beech mast, chestnuts and anything else autumn has left on the forest floor.

It is simple, practical and rather clever.

A tradition that still matters

Pannage is not something staged for visitors. It is still part of everyday life in the New Forest.

The pigs belong to local commoners, are registered before they go out and are usually fitted with nose rings to stop them digging too deeply into the ground.

The exact pannage season varies each year depending on the acorn crop, but it usually lasts for several weeks through autumn.

Spotting them in the Forest

Part of the charm is that you rarely go looking for pannage pigs.

You simply come across them.

One minute you are walking beneath the oaks, the next there is a rustle in the leaves and a pig appears, nose down, entirely focused on finding its next acorn.

If you do see them, give them a little space, keep dogs under control and resist the temptation to feed them.

They already have a very good autumn menu.