Have you voted yet? Just over a week until the polls close

There is now just over a week left to vote in the NPA elections. 

With so much at stake, there has never been a more important time to have your say in who makes the decisions on behalf of our industry over the next three years. 

NPA chief executive Zoe Davies said: "We are delighted that we have been able to assemble such strong fields for both the PG and AIG elections. That is a real tribute to the industry. 

"Now it is up to you. The next three years are going to be a critical time for the pig industry and now you have the opportunity to choose the people you want to drive the industry forward. NPA members, you have a vote - make sure you use it!"

How to vote

If you haven't cast your vote yet in the NPA elections, you now have two ways of doing so. 

The favoured option continues to be via the dedicated votenpa.net website. It's the quickest and easiest way of doing so - to vote online, click here

In addition, postal ballots have now been sent to members who have not yet voted online.

Whichever method you are using, the deadline to receive votes is midday, February 23. 

You have got an impressive list of candidates to choose from. 

The final tally saw 15 names confirmed for the contest to elect the 12 members of Producer Group.

A further 16 candidates, drawn from across the allied industries, will compete for 10 places on the NPA's Allied Industry Group (AIG). 

You can read all the candidates' manifestos on the voteNPA website and in the February issue of Pig World.

One member, one vote!

We need to remind members that each NPA membership only carries one vote. 

So, for example, that means only one person may vote on behalf of a Producer member, regardless of the number of partners in the business.

Likewise, organisations that are AIG members only get one vote. It is up to members to decide who in an organisation is the person voting and to agree on who they are voting for. 

Other useful reminders include: 

• Only producer members can vote for producer candidates and only allied industry members can vote for allied industry candidates.
• Producers can vote for a maximum of 12 PG candidates. Allied industry members can vote for a maximum of 10 AIG candidates.
• A voter is not obliged to use all their (10 or 12) votes, although tactical voting is discouraged.
• Contractors can vote, provided the company you contract for is an NPA member.
• Candidates can vote for themselves.