NPA election manifesto calls for 'Fair Deal for British Pig Industry'

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The National Pig Association (NPA) is using its General Election manifesto to call for a fair and balanced deal for British pig farmers from the next Government.

The association, which represents about 80% of British pig production, has identified five priority areas for the main political parties, ahead of the June 8 poll. These are:

Post-Brexit trade: Trade arrangements that recognise our world-leading standards and enable the UK pig industry to thrive in the global marketplace. We must not agree to deals that open us up to unfair competition and we must fight for equivalent standards.

Labour: A balanced immigration policy that ensures we retain access to EU labour. We need a secure workforce and staff that are welcome to live in the UK.

Support: A domestic agricultural policy that supports our high standards and helps us to invest in modern production facilities that deliver good animal health and welfare.

Regulation: A fair regulatory system that ensures our needs as a valuable sector producing an iconic, high quality product are fairly balanced alongside other interests.

Pig health and welfare: The same resource and effort must be put into keeping animal disease out as extending export markets, as ultimately the two are intrinsically linked.

When it comes to post-Brexit trade, the NPA is highlighting the importance to the pig sector of maintaining tariff free access to the Single Market but also of ensuring that, if EU tariffs are imposed, that EU imports coming the other way are subject to equivalent tariffs.

The association has also issued a warning about the potential implications for animal health and welfare of new free trade deals outside the EU. It recently published details of research it has carried out comparing animal welfare standards across key pig producing countries.

For example, while sow stalls have been outlawed in the UK since 1999 and are now partially banned across the rest of the EU, they are still legal in the US, Canada and Brazil. These three countries also have very different attitudes when it comes to antibiotic use, while the feed additive, Ractopamine, banned in the EU, is still approved in all three.

The UK is also unique among major pig producing countries, including its EU competitors, in its variety of production methods, including outdoor breeding and indoor straw-based systems.

NPA chief executive Zoe Davies said: “The British pig industry has absolutely no intention of lowering our welfare standards as a result of any post-Brexit trade deals.

“Our manifesto is all about delivering a fair and balanced deal for our members and that includes ensuring British pig producers are not undercut by imports of pork from countries produced to lower welfare standards. We must insist on equivalent standards for imports and, if necessary, designate pork as a ‘sensitive product during free trade negotiations.

“We are also sending out a clear message to the next Government about the need to maintain easy access to EU labour, particularly permanent, so-called ‘un-skilled’ labour that our farms and the allied industries are so dependent on.”

Other NPA election manifesto priorities include:

• Grant funding under a new domestic agricultural policy or tax support to help investment in modern production facilities that deliver good animal health and welfare and allow farmers to reduce antibiotic use
• Champion the exceptional standards of Assured British pig farmers by ensuring Government departments always procure pork products to equivalent UK standards
• Legislation and regulation must be evidence- and outcome-based
• Better border controls and stricter penalties for those caught illegally importing meat.

The NPA’s manifesto is being sent to members for them to pass on to candidates, along with a poster that gives candidates an opportunity to show, via a ‘selfie’, their support for a ‘Fair Deal for the British Pig Industry’.

NPA chairman Richard Lister said: “We are now urging our members to help drive these messages home to prospective candidates, whether that is on the doorstep, out and about in their constituencies or via arranged meetings.

“If we all work together, we can really make a difference. We are not asking for special favours – all we want is a fair deal.”

Notes to editors

• You can view the full NPA 2017 General Election Manifesto here and the poster for candidates here
• You can read the article on the NPA’s Animal Welfare Matrix comparing standards across the key pig producing countries here
• The UK pig industry is worth £1.2 billion at the farm-gate and, considering retail, foodservice and exports, over £7.5 billion in total. Our export market is worth £400 million a year
• The NPA is the ‘voice of the British pig industry’, representing the interests of pig producers and the allied industries. Our membership covers around 80% of the UK sow herd.

More information

For more information, contact Zoe Davies

Mobile: 07814 448956 Email: 

NPA vows to fight to protect post-Brexit UK welfare standards

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The National Pig Association (NPA) has insisted the UK’s high animal welfare standards must not be lowered in pursuit of new trade deals and a post-Brexit cheap food agenda. 

As Prime Minister Theresa May triggers Article 50, the NPA is calling for steps to protect pig producers and consumers, including equivalent standards for meat imports and, if necessary, tariffs and quotas where standards fall short. 

The association also wants to see strict labelling laws put in place to provide clarity for consumers over differences in production standards. 

The NPA’s top three Brexit priorities for the pig sector are: 

• Retaining free access to the Single Market 
• Ensuring the UK pig industry is not undermined by lower standard imports 
• Retaining access to permanent EU labour – skilled and ‘unskilled’. 

The UK pig industry exported more than 206,000 tonnes of pigmeat, worth £252 mil-lion, in 2017, nearly 60% of which went to or via the EU. 

NPA chairman Richard Lister said: “A free trade deal with the EU is absolutely vital for the pig sector. Tariffs on pork exports, for example, of 45p/kg on carcases or 131p/kg for processed hams, would cripple our export trade, slash profitability and export production overseas, particularly if equivalent tariffs were not levied on im-ports into the UK. 

“If we leave without a trade deal, sensible transitional arrangements must be put in place.” 

An even greater concern for the NPA is the prospect of new trade deals that would expose UK consumers and producers to cheaper pork imports from the likes of the US, Canada and Brazil, where health and welfare standards are often considerably lower than ours. 

Mr Lister added: “The recent Brazilian meat scandal has highlighted the inherent dangers in any potential new trade deals. 

“We don’t want imported meat produced to lower hygiene, welfare and traceability standards posing a threat to consumers and undercutting UK producers. We don’t want pork from the US, for example, from pigs reared using the growth promoter rac-topamine or from sows reared in stall systems outlawed in the UK since the late-1990s.” 

The NPA has welcomed comments by the Prime Minister and Defra Ministers con-firming they have no intention of allowing UK standards to be compromised in future trade deals. However, Farming Minister George Eustice has acknowledged that WTO rules, as they stand, make it difficult to include welfare standards as a condi-tion of trade. 

Mr Lister, who farms in Yorkshire, said: “We are proud of our high animal welfare standards in the UK. We want future trade deals to specify equivalent standards when it comes to meat imports. If that is not possible, pork must be granted protect-ed status, with tariffs and quotas imposed on lower standard imports. 

“We will also insist on an extension of country of origin labelling laws to clearly speci-fy when meat has been produced to lower standards.” 

The NPA’s other major concern is the availability of EU labour after we leave the EU. 

Mr Lister said: “Any talk of trade deals will be rendered almost irrelevant if we lose access to the EU labour force. There would simply not be a British pig industry as we know it today. 

“A survey of our members has highlighted the extent to which we rely on permanent, skilled and unskilled EU labour (by ‘unskilled’ we mean not educated to degree lev-el), rather than short-term seasonal workers.” 

Mr Lister concluded: “Brexit will provide opportunities and threats in equal measures and we will continue to bang the drum for the best possible deal for the pig sector.” 

Notes to editors 

1) The EU has imposed a partial ban on products from the 21 processing plants under investigation in Brazil, following a scandal over meat hygiene stand-ards. Click here to read more 

2) An NPA survey on the pig industry’s reliance on EU labour showed: 

• 58% of businesses across the supply chain employed at least one migrant worker 
• Nearly 20% employed between 11 and 50 
• More than 90% of migrant workers were employed on a full-time basis 
• 20% said their businesses would not survive without migrant labour. 

3) Other NPA Brexit priorities include: 

• Ensuring protection from exotic disease is maintained 
• Grants for building and infrastructure improvements that promote animal health and welfare standards under a new domestic agricultural policy 
• Ensuring the pig sector is fully involved in any moves to drive up health and welfare standards under a new farm policy. 

More information 

For more information, contact Zoe Davies 

Mobile: 07814 448956 Email: zoe.davies@npanet.org.uk 

NPA welcomes Real Welfare report for pigs 

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The National Pig Association has welcomed the findings of a ground-breaking report on objective animal welfare data covering nearly 5.5 million pigs over three years.

AHDB’s pioneering Real Welfare report is the culmination of a unique partnership between farmers and vets, developed in response to the pig industry’s desire for science-based evidence of welfare standards within the sector.

The voluntary initiative’s findings, based on on-farm assessments covering 5,463,348 pigs over three years, representing 40.5% of all pigs present on farms on the day of assessment, have been described as ‘hugely positive’ by NPA chief executive Zoe Davies.

The project looked beyond production systems, focusing on objective science-based indicators of the welfare of the animals, themselves, rather than on the environment the pigs are kept in.

Key findings from the biggest study of its type anywhere in the world included:

• Only 0.07% of pigs were identified as needing to be moved to a hospital pen for special treatment and, on more than three-quarters of farms, no pigs required hospitalisation
• Just 0.18% of non-hospitalised pigs were lame and, on more than three-quarters of farms, no pigs were lame
• Only 0.14% of pigs had severe tail damage and, on more than three-quarters of farms, no pigs had severe tail damage
• 70% of pigs had their tails docked, lower than in most other European countries where tail docking is permitted
• 62% of pigs had access to substrate, most of which was straw, and 32% of pigs had access to objects.

Over the years Real Welfare has been in operation, all measures of physical injuries, except tail damage, which was already low, have decreased, demonstrating an improvement to the welfare of individual animals in the British pig herd.

The report concluded: “The outcomes provide evidence of high levels of welfare and stockmanship in the British industry. They confirm that farmers look after their animals well and deal with pigs that need extra attention to safeguard their well-being.”

NPA chief executive Zoe Davies said the report had highlighted areas of real strength in on-farm husbandry standards and also identified areas for improvement.

She said: “This is a truly ground-breaking report, which is the result of the pig industry’s desire to obtain a real picture of the welfare of pigs of our farms.

“Overall, the results are very impressive and confirm what we already know about the pride that British pig producers take in ensuring their animals are properly looked after.

“The assessment highlighted very low levels of tail-damage, and while the proportion of pigs that have had their tails docked at 70%, might appear high, it is far lower than other major pig producing countries, where the level often nears 100%. Despite this positive figure, however, the industry is committed to continuing to drive further reductions in the number of pigs that have docked tails.

“This farmer led initiative demonstrates to consumers exactly how high the welfare on our farms actually is and stems from a desire to be open and transparent with the public over how their food is produced, despite increasingly damaging and fake messaging from anti-meat eating organisations.” 

Notes to editors

1. To read the report, click here
2. The Real Welfare scheme involves on-farm assessments of finisher pig welfare, using a set of five objective and repeatable measures, known as ‘welfare outcomes’. Carried out by vets on a regular and systematic basis, these are animal-based, rather than measured from their environment.
3. The five measures are:

• Lameness
• Tail damage
• Body marks
• Environmental enrichment
• Pigs that should be in hospital pens.

Real Welfare is also used to collect information on other variables, such as feeding practice, pen variables and whether tails are docked or undocked.

More information

For more information on the report itself contact AHDB

Phone: 0247 6478910 Email: 

For pig industry reaction to the report contact Zoe Davies

Mobile: 07814 448956 Email: 

City & Guilds promotes importance of responsible antibiotic usage

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The importance of using antibiotics responsibly on farms is being championed by City & Guilds, a leading body in skills development. 

City & Guilds has updated its Safe Use of Veterinary Medicines Certificate of Competence to reflect the growing awareness around the UK livestock sector of the need to respond to the antibiotic challenge. 

This qualification, which is open to anybody who works with agricultural livestock, helps ensure best practice is always followed while recognising the suitability of individuals to safely and effectively provide basic treatments. 

Following lengthy discussions with National Pig Association (NPA) vice chairman Richard Longthorp, City & Guilds has added new elements to the qualification. 

With an overarching emphasis on replacing, reducing, refining antibiotic usage to reduce the risk of antibiotic resistance in farm animals and the human population, they cover: 

• How antimicrobial resistance arises and spreads, and how to avoid it 
• Avoiding routine use of antibiotics and ensuring they are not normally the first option 
• Recognising the importance of diagnostics, biosecurity and good management in controlling disease 
• Recognising when antibiotics are likely to be ineffective, for example against viruses and when resistance is present 
• Why ‘critically important antibiotics’ should be used only as a last resort. 
• City & Guilds is now republishing its handbook to reflect the additional requirements and has informed its assessment centres of the changes. 

Mr. Longthorp, a Yorkshire farmer and strong advocate of developing effective training to deliver better outcomes on farms, welcomed the move. 

He said: “We are delighted the guidance has been updated. This means all people who work with livestock now have training and certification available to them that recognises the significant and growing challenge of using antibiotics responsibly. 

“The pig sector is already making great strides in rising to the challenge and this is yet another tool in the armoury to demonstrate our professional approach to safe and responsible use of veterinary medicines.” 

Long-term targets for reducing and refining antibiotic usage are in the process of being developed for the UK livestock sectors, under the leadership of the Responsible Use of Medicines in Agriculture (RUMA) alliance. 

In further positive news for the pig sector, uptake for the eMB-Pigs database, which records antibiotic usage on farms, has increased significantly during the early part of 2017. 

The latest figures from AHDB Pork show data covering 36 per cent of UK production is now on the system, almost double the figure recorded before Christmas. 

Red Tractor Assurance has confirmed that recording antibiotic usage data on eMB-Pigs on a quarterly basis will become a requirement of the Red Tractor pork scheme later this year. 

NPA senior policy advisor Georgina Crayford said: “Our Antibiotic Stewardship Programme sets out a holistic approach to addressing the antibiotic problem that puts education and recording of data to the fore, alongside practical means to reduce usage on farms. 

“These latest developments highlight the excellent progress being made across the pig supply chain.” 

Notes to editors 

1) City & Guilds is a global leader in skills development, providing services to training providers, employers, and trainees across a variety of sectors 

2) The Safe Use of Veterinary Medicines Certificate of Competence is an inde-pendently assessed City & Guilds/NTPC Level 2 Award covering all elements of administering veterinary medicine, including storage, transportation, dis-posal and record-keeping. For more information, click here 

3) The NPA’s Antibiotic Stewardship Programme, launched in May 2016, in-cludes measures on capture and collation of accurate antibiotic use data; benchmarking farms’ antibiotic usage; education in effective disease control strategies; reducing antibiotic use, consistent with responsible animal medi-cine and promoting prescribing principles to strictly limit use of ‘critically im-portant antibiotics’. For more information click here 

4) The latest official Government figures showed sales of antibiotics licensed for pigs and poultry were down 10 per cent in 2015 while sales of products licensed for pigs only were down 24 per cent. 

5) For more on last week’s Red Tractor announcement, click here 

For further information please contact: 

Dr Georgina Crayford, NPA senior policy adviser Mobile: 07551 155654 

Email: Georgina.crayford@npanet.org.uk 

ENDS 

Brexit negotiations must not ignore fundamental importance of EU labour - NPA

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The fundamental importance of EU labour to sectors like pig production must not be forgotten as the Government forges ahead with its Brexit plans, the National Pig Association (NPA) has warned.

Prime Minister Theresa May has today outlined her priorities for the Brexit negotiations, including controlling the numbers of people coming to the UK from Europe.

She signalled the UK will leave the Single Market and full membership of the EU Customs Union, while seeking to retain ‘frictionless trade’ with the EU via a Free Trade Agreement and forging new trading relationships elsewhere.

The NPA has responded to the speech by outlining its top three Brexit priorities. These are:

• Retaining sufficient access to EU labour
• Retaining tariff-free access for exports to the EU market
• Ensuring pork imports are produced to equivalent standards

NPA chief executive Zoe Davies said, while the nature of future trade arrangements will have a huge impact on the viability of UK pig sector, currently the industry’s biggest concern is access to labour.

“Without EU labour there will be no British pig industry as we know it,” she said.

“We understand why immigration is going go to be a priority for Mrs May but, along with many other sectors, we fear this could result in serious unintended consequences if politics triumphs over economic reality.

“We are heavily reliant on EU labour on our farms, in our processing plants and across the wider industry, to produce British pigmeat, which is so highly valued in our home and export markets. We must do everything we can to retain that access.”

Dr Davies welcomed the extra clarity around Single Market access and Mrs May’s comments on a suitable transition period for new Brexit arrangements.

“It is now absolutely vital for our sector that we secure tariff-free access to the EU market, and also some sort of transitional arrangement whilst trade negotiations are conducted.  Our pig producers must be protected,” she said.

“It is equally essential that any new trade arrangements, for example, with the US, do not result in the UK being flooded with cheaper pigmeat produced to lower standards than permitted in the UK. Equivalence of standards is an NPA priority.”

Labour concerns

A recent NPA survey showed 58 per cent of businesses across the pig supply chain employed at least one migrant worker, while nearly half would not survive or would be forced to make changes to how they operated without migrant labour.

In a recent interview, the chief executive of Cranswick, one of the UK’s biggest pork processors, said between 35-65 per cent of his staff were foreign workers, predominantly from Europe. He predicted the UK food and drinks sector would ‘grind to a halt without overseas workers’.

NPA policy services officer Lizzie Wilson said the fall in the value of the pound, effectively cutting UK wages relative to those on offer in other member states, was already having an impact on the availability of staff for the pig industry.

Defra Secretary Andrea Leadsom suggested at the recent Oxford Farming Conference that the Government would consider introducing seasonal migrant worker schemes for the agricultural sector.

But Mrs Wilson said the pig sector needed stronger guarantees. She said: “We are making the case in the strongest possible terms to Government that, any immigration policies put in place, must not jeopardise our access to permanent workers, both skilled and unskilled, who want to live and work in the UK.

“And it is not just the policies we put in place. This is also about the rhetoric around Brexit and the messages we send out to EU workers.

“On behalf of the UK pig sector, we continue to welcome them with open arms.”

 

Notes to editors

1. The results of the NPA migrant labour survey can be seen here 
2. Cranswick chief executive Adam Couch’s interview with the Telegraph can be seen here
3. Defra Secretary Andrea Leadsom’s comments at the Oxford Farming Conference can be seen here
4. NPA chairman Richard Lister has joined forces with the poultry sector to warn Immigration Minister Robert Goodwill the nation’s ability to produce food will be undermined by a lack of access to EU labour. You can see the full story here
5. The NPA has secured a meeting with Brexit Minister David Jones in Downing Street on February 8.

ENDS

For further information, please contact:

Lizzie Wilson, NPA policy services officer

Mobile: 07790 117091 Email: 

NPA welcomes report showing significant decline in sales of antibiotics for pigs

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The National Pig Association (NPA) has welcomed encouraging new data confirming a significant reduction in sales of antibiotics for use on pig farms.

The Government has today published the latest UK-VARSS report revealing antibiotic sales data for 2015, showing the livestock sector is well on course to reach its overall target set for 2018.

The headline figure is an overall 9 per cent reduction, to 404 tonnes, in sales of antibiotics sold for use in animals, including companion animals, compared with 2014. This represents a four-year low.

The figures show the pig sector played a major part in bringing about that overall reduction. Sales of products licensed for both pigs and poultry were down 23 tonnes to 212 tonnes, a 10 per cent drop.

Sales of products licensed for pigs only were down an even more impressive 24 per cent, a 16 tonne reduction to 50 tonnes, the biggest fall across all the sectors. Overall sales for antibiotic use in food-producing animals dropped 10 per cent from 62 milligrams per kilogram (mg/kg) to 56mg/kg.

This continues a ten-year downward trend and puts the UK on track to reach its 50mg/kg target by 2018. Sector specific targets are due to be agreed next year.

The VARSS report also showed a drop in sales of the highest priority antibiotics that are critically important for humans. Sales of these made up just over 1 per cent of all antibiotics sold for use in animals in 2015.

NPA chief executive Dr Zoe Davies said: “We are encouraged by these figures, which show the pig sector is pulling its weight and is taking the challenge of reducing and refining antibiotic usage seriously.

“We fully expect to see further reductions in 2016 and are committed to meeting the challenge of new targets that come our way. We will continue to press for these to be workable and proportionate.

“Meanwhile, we will continue to push forward the key principles of our Antibiotic Stewardship Programme to drive further change.”

The report contained more good news for the pig industry. It highlighted the work the pig industry is doing to collect on-farm usage data via the electronic eMB-Pigs database.

NPA senior policy advisor Dr Georgina Crayford reiterated the need for any farmers who have not yet done so to upload their data.

“Sales data can only tell us so much. Entering data onto eMB-Pigs is necessary to give us a more detailed understanding of the volume of antibiotics used on farm and how they are used. This, in turn, will help us agree reasonable reduction targets next year.”

The VARSS report also showed the results of research on resistance in E. coli isolated from pigs in 2015. The NPA has some concern about the findings of ESBL-producing E.coli.

But Dr Crayford added: “We are comforted by the fact that ESBL genes found in E.coli from animals have in the past been different to the genes found in ESBL E.coli in human clinical cases, highlighting that the transfer of resistance from animals to humans is not a major concern (see notes to editors).”

“We are equally encouraged to see little to no resistance to 3rd and 4th generation cephalosporins and fluoroquinolones, critically important classes of antibiotics for human health, in Salmonella isolated from pigs.”

Dr Crayford said the VARSS report highlighted progress being made in reducing antibiotic use on pig farms but also contained pointers for the future.

“When it comes to setting further targets for the pig sector it is important to note that, while we’re committed to using antibiotics responsibly, reductions in antibiotic use will not necessarily result in a reduction in bacterial resistance.

The key is to ensure that further development of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) does not happen. “We must also ensure that, as we take further steps to reduce antibiotic usage, we do not compromise the health and welfare of our livestock.”

Notes to editors

1) UK Veterinary Antibiotic Resistance and Sales Surveillance (VARSS) report is published annually by the Veterinary Medicines Directorate. You can view the 2015 report here https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/department-for-environment-foodruralaffairs

2) See the NPA’s press release, published at the start of World Antibiotic Awareness Week (Nov 14-20) on progress being made in implementing its Antibiotic Stewardship Programme.

3) This paper, published in September 2014, shows ESBL genes found in E.coli from animals have in the past been different to the genes found in ESBL E.coli in human clinical cases.

For further information please contact:

Dr Georgina Crayford, NPA senior policy adviser Mobile: 07551 155654

Email: Georgina.crayford@npanet.org.uk

Pig industry stepping up to the antibiotic challenge

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The UK pig industry is stepping up to the antibiotic challenge on a number of fronts, the National Pig Association (NPA) has revealed, as the spotlight falls once again on the issue.

Excellent progress is being made in implementing the NPA’s Antibiotic Stewardship Programme, which, published in May, sets out a framework for reducing and refining antibiotic usage in the pig sector.

It includes key strands on recording antibiotic usage, education across the supply chain and responsible use of medication on farms.

Survey confirms pig industry reliance on EU labour as Brexit fears loom

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One in five farms and businesses connected to the pig industry would struggle to survive without migrant labour, an NPA survey has indicated.

A further one in four would have to significantly alter how they operated if the supply of migrant workers, primarily from the EU, was cut off, the survey showed.

NPA calls for proper controls on soaring Forest of Dean feral wild boar population

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The National Pig Association (NPA) is calling for more concerted efforts to control feral wild boar in the Forest of Dean in response to the threat the rising population poses to commercial pigs.

The NPA is joining forces with the Deer Initiative to host a wild boar summit in January to discuss possible solutions to the worsening situation.

NPA calls on Andrea Leadsom to ensure pig farmers get a fair Brexit deal

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If EU tariffs, which currently add £45 per 100kg to the cost of imports of pig carcases, were significantly reduced in new trade deals, this could open the doors to large volumes of lower standard, imported pigmeat. 

NPA policy services manager Lizzie Wilson said: “Countries like the US, Canada and Brazil are able to produce pigmeat at a much lower cost because they have lower animal welfare and environmental standards. 

“We are absolutely adamant that the Government must not put a desire for cheap food ahead of the need to shore up the UK’s self-sufficiency in food, which has already declined alarmingly over the last few decades. 

“We do not want to see UK consumers exposed to pigmeat produced to lower standards and we certainly do not want our producers to face unfair import competition.”

The NPA is calling for equivalent standards of production, including animal welfare, to be negotiated into any new trade agreements and, if necessary, for UK pigmeat to be granted protected status to control the volume of tariff free imports allowed into the UK.

Mrs Wilson added: “We noted Farming Minister George Eustice’s comments about negotiating common standards into trade deals at the Conservative Party Conference but he knows as well as we do that bringing welfare into these deals will not be straightforward.

Responding to comments by Mrs Leadsom and Mr Eustice in Birmingham about incentivising producers to raise health and welfare standards under a new domestic farm policy to help differentiate UK pigmeat from the competition, she added: 

“The pig industry is always striving to implement standards that deliver improved animal welfare, but we must be mindful not to make the industry uncompetitive and effectively export our production to countries where welfare is lower.”

The NPA is also calling for new post-Brexit agricultural policies to support pig farmers in delivering public goods such as reducing antibiotic usage by improving animal health.

Mrs Wilson said: “We would like to see grant funding and some sort of tax relief available to help with reinvestment in new buildings, equipment and infrastructure.”

Other key messages to the Government in the NPA’s Brexit strategy include: 

•    Ensuring Defra dedicates the same resource and effort into keeping animal disease out as extending export markets, as ultimately the two are intrinsically linked
•    Ensuring EU citizens wanting to work in the UK pig sector are not prevented from doing so because of complicated application processes or delays to visa processing
•    Strengthening checks at major ports and increasing penalties for illegally imported products
•    Ensuring the pig sector is included in any discussions on future welfare standards.

Mrs Wilson said: “The UK pig industry is worth £1.2bn at the farmgate and £7.5bn in total.

“It is a vital sector of the UK economy with good stories to tell in terms of growing export volumes and animal welfare standards. 

“We welcome steps taken so far by Defra to include NPA in preliminary talks and look forward to this relationship continuing as we continue to make the case for a fair Brexit deal for the pig industry.”

Notes to editors:
•    The NPA’s comprehensive Brexit briefing covering trade, farm support, animal health and disease, animal welfare and labour can be viewed here
•    The NPA formulated its briefing document after its chairman Richard Lister attended a Defra Brexit stakeholder meeting on September 8 (link)
•    More details on comments by Defra Secretary Andrea Leadsom and Farming Ministers George Eustice about post-Brexit trade and raising animal welfare standards can be seen here
•    The UK pig industry is worth £1.2 billion at the farm-gate and over £7.5 billion in total, including retail, foodservice and other external sales and exports  
•    The growing UK export market is worth £350 million a year. Last year the UK produced 899,000 tonnes of pigmeat, of which just over 25 percent was exported.

ENDS 
For further information please contact: 
Lizzie Wilson, NPA policy services manager 
Mobile: 07790 117091 Email: Lizzie.Wilson@npanet.org.uk