Pig World invited industry leaders to share their personal highs and lows from 2015, while also expressing a pig sector wish for 2016. Today’s contribution is from the Overall Producer of the Year winner at the 2015 National Pig Awards, Rick Buckle.
PW: What was your pig sector highlight/lowpoint of 2015?
RB: My obvious highlight was winning the Indoor Producer of the Year and Overall Producer of the Year titles at the 2015 National Pig Awards.
The lowpoint was the continued decline of pork consumption in the UK along with the reduced retail price share achieved by producers.
PW: What do you most hope will be achieved by UK pig producers in 2016?
RB: That we, at least, achieve stability in the size of the national herd.
PW: What one pig industry experience did you enjoy most in 2015?
RB: The National Pig Awards in November, of course. It was a fantastic night, showing the best of the industry.
PW: Would you like to make a “free pig sector comment” on something about which you feel strongly?
RB: I would like to see producers, processors and retailers working together to increase UK produced pork consumption. Closer ties and structured dialogue would, I’m sure, help to address the current imbalance of profit within the supply chain. Let’s make the retailers want to sell UK pigmeat, to want to deal with UK producers, to want to replace imports with UK product and to want to promote and increase pigmeat consumption.
The other point I would like to make is that every producer should become a fully paid-up member of the National Pig Association. I can’t think of any other sector within agriculture that has such a highly skilled and motivated team of people providing excellent value for the yearly subscription.
Other “industry leader” contributions will follow between Christmas and New Year.
