CLICK HERE TO REFRESH PAGE

Now over 8,000 page views a week!

saturday may 19 2012

Share your passion with consumers, urges award-winner Jack

Jack Bosworth is winner of the British Pig and Poultry Fair Innovation Award. There were three finalists, all from the pig sector.

Jack has founded a business to help farmers fight negative publicity by promoting the production, welfare and environmental strengths of British farming.

His "Hog in the Limelight" concept of using video and social media to promote individual farms won't make him a millionaire — but it might help him pay for beer and other necessary expenses when he starts at Harper Adams University this September.

Seventeen-year-old Jack Bosworth looked at the negative publicity the British pig industry is suffering at the hands of welfare and vegan groups and wanted to do something to redress the balance.

But what can a single youngster do, especially if he is just about to start a degree course at Harper Adams? Well to start with, he can examine his skills and consider how these can best be mobilised in support of the British pig industry.

Whilst their fathers and grandfathers knew how best to wield 18-stone sacks, the talents of today's young farmers lie more in the direction of clicking a computer mouse.

Like most teenagers, Jack is comfortable with social media, specifically Facebook, YouTube and Twitter.

So he set about promoting the family farm via website, Facebook, YouTube and Twitter — proudly telling the story of how his dad and the farm's workforce help feed a growing population more efficiently from fewer resources.

The modern farming techniques described with such pride by Jack are the antithesis of the low-output, extensive farming model promoted by the industry's critics, Compassion in World Farming and the Soil Association.

He shows us that if we have a passion for sustainable intensification as the way forward, then we should share that passion with consumers.

Jack has now set up his own business to promote individual farms. If you wanted to hire his services, the "Hog in the Limelight" package would cost about £600, but he would help you offset that cost by going to your key suppliers and persuading them to sponsor your farm video.

Explaining his idea to the ABN Innovation Award judges at British Pig and Poultry Fair, he said, "We have struggled to get any good publicity for the Red Tractor recently as a result of exposes by undercover animal welfare groups.

"We need to respond by showing consumers what they are really getting when they buy assured British produce."

He described the farm videos he proposes to make as "counter videos", "because if you are the victim of any bad footage of your farm, you will have your own video to counter it".

NPA's London Rally in 2010, followed by its banners campaign in 2011, had helped raise the British pig industry's profile at both national and regional level, he told the Innovation Award judges. "The next step is to promote individual businesses."

He explained how he could add value through Hog in the Limelight.

"I'm a pig farmer's son and I know what I'm doing. I know what I'm looking for when I'm filming for a farm video. You could use a professional photographer but they will go for the arty shot, whereas I will get the shots that consumers want to see.

"And I can be trusted. I'm not an undercover agent for a vegan group, or anything like that.

"The idea is that we raise the profile of Red Tractor pork, or any other Red Tractor produce, in farm videos which we can then send to local schools and retailers, hopefully creating an increase in demand.

"Hog in the Limelight is not something that is going to make me a fortune but it will help with the student debt looming over my shoulders, and pay for a few beers perhaps."

Summing up the judges' thoughts on Jack Bosworth's Hog in the Limelight project, Paul Kelly managing director of KellyBronze Turkey Farms said, "What we liked was that he has identified the need to portray a positive message about British farming and livestock.

"There is nothing new about producing a corporate video but it's how Jack wants to apply it and where he is going to send it that appealed to us.

"We love the idea that it is a local farmer being filmed and being shown to local schools, colleges and doctors' surgeries.

"And the videos could be made available so that consumers could go onto the Red Tractor website and log onto their local farmer in the Red Tractor scheme, and that's a very powerful tool.

"For a farmer to spend around £600 will be a challenge but it is a very cheap insurance policy for the farmer to actually be able to show the public that the farm is very professionally run.

"The challenge for Jack will be to produce a professional enough video at a price, and we all know that farmers don't want to spend too much money.

"We wish you good luck, Jack. We think it is a great idea and that you've got passion and youth on your side to make it work — well done."

Jack Bosworth's father, Stuart, writes a monthly column in the British pig industry magazine, Pig World.

friday may 18 2012

Danish herd is down

During the first quarter of this year the number of sows in Denmark fell by 13,000, equivalent to 1.3 percent. The number of gilts decreased by 7,000, equivalent to 3.5 percent. And the number of slaughter pigs decreased more than five percent. However, these changes are said to be caused by seasonal fluctuation and do not necessarily represent a trend.

Consumers are more confident

If it is true that when America sneezes, Britain catches a cold, then it must be good news when American consumers wipe their noses and start to feel better.

A consumer confidence index has surprised analysts by climbing to its highest level in four years this month, and consumer spending is up.

The Thomson Reuters/University of Michigan preliminary consumer sentiment index for May has climbed to 77.8, up from 76.4 a month earlier and should benefit meat sales.

The index beat expectations, as a survey of 68 economists indicated the index would drop to 76 based on an average of their projections.

The index has now advanced for the ninth straight month, the longest stretch of consecutive gains since the monthly survey began in 1978.

I take my hat off to the
British pig industry

British pig producers set an example the whole of British farming should follow, says NFU president Peter Kendall.

They stick together through the hard times and proudly promote the quality of their product.

"I take my hat off to the British pig industry," he told the headline debate at this week's British Pig and Poultry Fair.

"I do a lot of travelling around the motorways and I see their banners promoting British pork and the Red Tractor logo.

"The pig industry has had tough times for a long time but pig farmers get out there and put their banners up and brag about what they do."

He said he wanted all sectors of British agriculture to work together the way the pig industry does.

• In the pig industry we have fields adjacent to roads and railway lines that the big billboard companies would pay £millions for, and we use these to push up demand for British pork, bacon and sausages.

• Whilst there are no funds left for free 15ft x 4ft banners, producers and allied trades who want to replace their existing banners or put up new ones can have them made up by their local sign shop, usually for £90 or less. NPA will provide the necessary "Yes, Yes, Yes" and "Be proud of higher welfare" artwork by email >>>

If everyone does a little,
together we will achieve a lot

As part of the Champion Pork and Poultry Initiative at this year's British Pig and Poultry Fair, everyone in the industry was urged to do something — however little — to promote British pork, chicken and eggs.

"If everyone does a little then together we can achieve a lot," argued David Gardner, chief executive of the Royal Agricultural Society of England.

Visitors to the Fair were urged to sign the Champion Pork and Poultry pledge to do their bit. There was an excellent response with over 100 people signing up so far, reports event organiser Alice Bell.

The options suggested by Champion Pork and Poultry for promoting sales of British pork, chicken and eggs are...

• Put up a banner
• Brand your vehicles
• Promote consumer-facing websites
• Write an article for your local newspaper
• Get coverage on local radio
• Write to your MP/MEP
• Host a school visit or visit a school
• Talk to local community groups
• Use social media to spread the word
• Engage with local customers, restaurants and supermarkets.

Find out more about Champion Pork and Poultry here >>>

Act now to remove euro uncertainty

British farmers electing to take their support payments in sterling in their recently completed SPS 2012 application forms should now seek advice on the merits of fixing the exchange rate.

This, says Lloyds TSB's agricultural policy director Alick Jones, should be done in the coming months and is especially important as current uncertainty in the eurozone has the potential to cause greater volatility in the sterling/euro exchange rate, which could have a negative impact on the final value of the payment.

China says Yes to British fifth-quarter

British pork will be on menus in China at last, following this week's visit by food and farming minister Jim Paice.

After many false starts it has agreed to accept exports of British pigmeat. The market is worth £50m much of it offal, trotters, ears and other parts of the "fifth quarter" which British diners do not eat.

"China is the most lucrative grocery market in the world and from fashion to food its rapidly expanding middle class has an appetite for Western goods," said Jim Paice.

BPEX chairman Stewart Houston is in China with the minister. He said this morning, "This is something we have been working towards for several years in close co-operation with Defra and the British embassy in Beijing.

"The process has been a long one but I know it will prove to be extremely worthwhile. Pork is the most popular meat in China and some of the cuts which are less popular here command a premium over there."

The first consignment of British pork is ready to be dispatched by Tulip.

"The news of the clearance to supply British pig meat into China is the culmination of many months of hard work by the team at Defra, BPEX and the National Pig Association who have played a vital role in securing this export business opportunity by working in conjunction with the pigmeat processing industry and UK pig farmers," said Andrew Saunders, director of agriculture.

"The commitment by China to use British pigmeat is testament to the quality and standards in place across the United Kingdom pig industry and provides us with an exciting opportunity to enter a developing market."

Defra is looking to use the experience of developing this trade deal to open up markets for other British products and services. This will be vital in the future work of its food exports action plan.

Pictured above, from left: Jim Paice, food and farms minister; Stewart Houston, chairman of BPEX; Andrew Saunders, agriculture director of Tulip.

thursday May 17 2012

Members area

The NPA Members Area has been updated today >>>

Get a head-start on NVZ appeals

Farmers have 59 days to prepare their appeal against proposed changes to Nitrate Vulnerable Zones designations, the NFU has warned. Designations are reviewed by Defra every four years and the NFU had hoped farmers would get a minimum of three months to get their appeals ready, as they did during the previous review. The maps can be accessed online here >>>

What do you think about Red Tractor?

Red Tractor has commissioned a survey to help understand farmers' perception of the Red Tractor scheme, from a technical assurance level and also as a consumer-facing logo.

A sample of farmers will be contacted by telephone and invited to participate and the survey is also being made available online so any Red Tractor member or non-member can provide feedback and views.

Red Tractor is keen for all pig producers to take part in the survey. Please go here to do it online >>>

Fruit processing co-product

A fruit factory in Kent is looking for a producer who can take 4-6 tons of fresh co-product daily. Details here >>>