November 3, 2009
UK pig health improvement project gets green light
Eastern Health, the new regional pig health improvement project in the UK, has been given the green light.
Never wanting to let the grass grow under their feet, East Anglian pig producers have already set up a steering group. An initial meeting has been held to discuss strategy, so the initiative can get off to a flying start. The group is chaired by producer Philip Richardson.
BPEX veterinary projects manager Charlotte Evans said producers at the first meeting firmly agreed to focus plans on achieving real improvements in biosecurity.
Evans said a veterinary sub-committee has been formed to advise on biosecurity and health status monitoring, adding that the plan is to review existing biosecurity protocols and develop a new, simpler protocol of 10 to 15 key points.
A second sub-group has also been formed - its first task is to evaluate Yorkshire and Humberside Health, the pig health improvement project already underway in the north.
The Eastern Health project, supported by the East of England Development Agency (EEDA) and BPEX, will cover the entire East of England region comprising Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire, Essex, Hertfordshire, Norfolk and Suffolk.
