BPA opens doors to India for UK pig breeders

The British Pig Association (BPA) has signed an agreement that will see the UK pig industry support the process of pig breeding and production in India.

BPA chairman Guy Kiddy signed a memorandum of Understanding with Sapu Bhattacharyya, chief executive of the NEC Group, which operates meat production facilities in the state of Assam, on Sunday. It was signed  in the presence of Bruce Bucknell, Deputy British High Commissioner, based in Kolkata, and Shri Atul Bora, Honourable Minister for Agriculture, in Assam.

The signing took place at the Advantage Assam event in Guwahati, Assam, India.

“With the Government of India allowing the import of both live breeding pigs and semen from the UK, the UK pig industry is now in a position to develop with the Government of Assam a policy to advance its industry after many years of negotiation and discussions working in the first instance with the NEC Group,” Mr Kiddy said.

The BPA, in its role as a DTI Trade Challenge Partner will be the first point of contact in the UK for the NEC Group, which is keen to access the UK market either for breeding stock, genetics and technical consultancy. The NEC Group or its agents will be the BPA’s first point of contact in Assam.

The BPA will assist in introducing the group to individual breeders and genetic companies in the UK along with specialist companies supplying technology in the following areas:

• Animal Health Distributors
• Artificial Insemination
• Consultants
• Disinfection/Hygiene
• Education/Training/Research
• Equipment/Building
• Identification Systems
• Incinerators and waste disposal
• Marketing Organisations
• Nutrition/Feed
• Pharmaceutical
• Veterinary Surgeons

The BPA will also help to arrange visits by the NEC Group or its agents to UK to meet these companies and assist these companies in arranging visits to Assam.

In addition, Mr Bucknell, on Behalf of the Department for International Trade and BPA has invited Shri Atul Bora and Sapu Bhattacharyya to visit the UK.

In his latest Pig World column, outlining a visit to India that laid the ground for this arrangement, Mr Kiddy said the UK is the only EU country with a health certificate to export breeding pigs to India. Most pork is consumed in the north, in the states of Assam and Punjab.

NPA reaction 

NPA chief executive Zoe Davies said: "This is really good news – this is excellent work from the BPA. The UK is the first EU country to get into this market – and that is a really important win! Having got access, we look forward to seeing UK companies taking advantage of the opportunities out there."