Outdoor pig producer Rob Mutimer has been re-elected as chair of the NPA to serve for another three years.
Rob runs 800 sows farrow to finish, with outdoor breeding and indoor finishing, in north Norfolk with his wife, Helen. They also run a wholesale butchery business supplying around 150 pubs and other catering outlets in Norfolk and Suffolk.
Rob was first elected as chair in 2021, and in the intervening years, has steered the association through a difficult three years for the industry. He was elected for another three-year term by the NPA’s new-look board, when it met for the first time last week.
Two new NPA vice chairs have also been elected – Robin Lawson, MD at Rattlerow Genetics and Michelle Sprent of Premier Nutrition, who will represent the NPA’s allied members. Both have already served for a number of years on PIG and its predecessor producer and allied industry groups.
They replace Phil Stephenson, who remains on the NPA’s Pig Industry Group, and Hugh Crabtree, who has stepped down from PIG.
Rob said: “It’s an honour to be elected by the Board to serve for another three years. I am really hoping that the next three years bring better times for our members and the wider industry than the last three! With the General Election looming and the industry undergoing a period of restructuring, it’s certainly going to be a busy time for the association.
“We will continue to work with the Government and the supply chain to deliver fairness for all in contracts and trading relations, and will endeavour to ensure that any forthcoming regulation concerning the pig sector is proportionate, fair and workable.
“I had wondered whether it was time for an indoor producer to take over at the helm, but with Robin elected as vice-chair and a new PIG representing all parts of the industry, I am very confident that the NPA will continue to deliver for the entire sector.”
New board elected
The newly-elected PIG met for the first time on Wednesday, with Yorkshire producer Joe Dewhirst elected as its chair and Oliver Bown, from Thames Valley Cambac (TVC), the new PIG vice-chair.
One of PIG’s first tasks was to elect a new NPA Board. The Board in full is:
- Rob Mutimer (NPA chair)
- Robin Lawson (vice-chair)
- Michelle Sprent (vice-chair)
- Tom Allen
- Joe Dewhirst
- Ash Gilman
- Phil Stephenson
- Tom Bradshaw (NFU president).
New PIG
The PIG, made up of nine producers and allied industry representatives, included a number of new faces, alongside some long-standing members, providing an ideal mix of fresh ideas and energy and experience.
Producers:
- Fred Allen, Nottinghamshire
- Tom Allen, Oxfordshire
- Joe Dewhirst, Yorkshire
- Ash Gilman, Cranswick, national
- Robin Lawson, Suffolk
- Rob Mutimer, Norfolk
- Phil Stephenson, Yorkshire
- John Stockings, Oxfordshire
- Sam Ward, Lincolnshire.
Allied industry:
- Oliver Bown, Thames Valley Cambac (Marketing/processing)
- Andy Hall, AM Warkup (Buildings/equipment)
- Michelle Sprent, Premier Nutrition (Nutrition/feed)
- Gemma Thwaites, Garth Pig Practice (Health).