When Zoe met the 'Black Farmer'

NPA chief executive Zoe Davies has held a ‘very positive’ meeting with Wilfred Emmanuel Jones, aka the Black Farmer.

Zoe told the latest NPA Producer Group meeting, in London, that the meeting was set up after NPA comments responding to the launch of the Black Farmer's ‘Raised Without Antibiotics’ pork range were misinterpreted in the media. Marking the launch in December, Mr Emmanuel Jones claimed that ‘unbeknown to the consumer, pork rearing involves the blanket use of antibiotics’, a claim the NPA said was ‘misleading’.

During the meeting, they discussed the reality of how antibiotics are used across the pig sector and the challenges and opportunities presented by the new antibiotic targets. Mr Emmanual Jones also had some fascinating views on how the industry should approach the marketing of its products.

Zoe said: “It was an excellent meeting. I was really keen to meet up and clarify where we both stand on antibiotic use and on how we communicate the key messages clearly to the consumer, particularly where ‘Antibiotic Free’ is used as a marketing tool.

“Wilfred is a tremendously successful marketer, who has seized his opportunity to make his mark on the sector. As someone who doesn’t own pigs, himself, this was a chance to discuss and explain some of the finer details of pig production, in what is a diverse UK pig sector where everyone is pulling together to meet the antibiotic challenge.

“He is very enthusiastic and full of interesting ideas about how the pig industry can better promote itself. We are certainly keen to work together, so I have invited him to the next meeting of the NPA Producer Group to discuss some of these ideas!”