NPA's Producer and Allied Industry Groups to combine for meetings

The NPA will hold joint meetings of its Producer Group (PG) and Allied Industry Group (AIG) next year, strengthening the links between its representative bodies.

The plan, endorsed by PG, AIG and the NPA Board, will see four joint meetings held in 2020. This compares with the five annual PG meetings and six AIG meetings that have taken place in recent years.

NPA chief executive Zoe Davies said: “This will provide many benefits – the NPA is unique in incorporating the whole industry in representing producers and the allied industries and this will bring about even closer working relationships and strengthen the bond.

“It will also cut out duplication between the two groups and save on costs by reducing the number of meetings, as well reducing NPA staff’s workloads. We might need a bigger room, but we’re working on that!”

PG is made up of 12 elected members from across five regions of England, while the AIG has 10 members, representing the broad range of the industry’s allied businesses.

Who’s on PG

• Phil Stephenson (North) - chair
• Sam Godfrey (Midlands) – vice chair
• Tom Allen (South Central)
• Andrew Freemantle (South West)
• Simon Guise (East)
• Steve Hart (East)
• Sophie Hope (South West)
• Richard Lister (North)
• Richard Longthorp (North)
• Vicky Morgan (North)
• Rob Mutimer (East)
• Sally Stockings (South West)

Who’s on AIG

• Hugh Crabtree (Farmex) - chair
• Lydia Harrison (Huvepharma) – vice chair
• Oliver Bown (TVC)
• Simon Davies (Meadow Quality)
• Laura Hancox  (Zoetis)
• Paul Hutton  (Collinson)
• Michelle Sprent (Premier Nutrition)
• Gemma Thwaite (Garth Pig Practice)
• Paul Toplis (Primary Diets)
• Fiona Glaves (Tulip Ltd)

Also discussed at the latest PG meeting in London in November:

• The group expressed disappointment at the lack of effort being made at some airports to display signage warning passengers, particularly from ASF-infected areas, of the risks of illegally bringing meat into the UK.
• Zoe gave an update on Government and industry preparedness for an ASF outbreak. Defra and APHA are now taking the issue more seriously, thanks to the persistence of the NPA, but more needs to be done.
• PG was informed how the campaign to ban farrowing crates had gained traction within Defra in recent months, hence the importance of the letters that NPA members have been writing to MPs explaining why a ban would be wrong and damaging. The group agreed that more needed to be done to generate evidence to demonstrate the challenges and costs associated with alternative farrowing systems.
• PG also agreed that AHDB needed to present more evidence about the pig sector’s role in the climate change debate, including the positive steps to reduce emissions across the supply chain.