AHDB will no longer provide levy funding for the Pig Health Scheme (PHS) after this year.
The scheme feeds back pig health data collected at selected abattoirs to producers and has been in place, funded by the levy for a number of years.
The decision to withdraw this funding is part of a wider re-focusing of the pork levy spend that will see AHDB concentrate on three main priorities – domestic marketing, exports and pork sector reputation.
This is in response to a forecast drop in available pork sector funds from about £10m in the current year to £8m in 2023/24, due mainly to a drop in pig numbers.
AHDB said on Friday: “As you are likely aware, following the Shape the Future vote and anticipated reduction in the pork levy income, all AHDB projects, tools and services are being reviewed. In the case of the Pig Health Scheme, this unfortunately means that AHDB is unable to fund the scheme beyond 2022.
“We appreciate that this news may be disappointing for producers and the wider industry. If you wish to provide feedback, please contact us via PHS@ahdb.org.uk”
The announcement comes a week ahead of AHDB’s ‘Delivering the Future of Farming’ event, during which levy payers will be able to discuss the new sector priorities with council representatives and AHDB staff. The pork session is at 4pm.
You can register for the online event on Thursday, November 10, HERE
NPA reaction
NPA chief executive Lizzie Wilson said: “We are disappointed because the Pig Health Scheme is a really useful initiative for farmers. However, we understand the decision, given the need for AHDB to prioritise how it spends the reduced pig levy.
“The Food Standard Agency’s Collection and Communication of Inspection Results (CCIR) initiative does feed back data to producers so we now need to look at how this can provide maximum benefit to our members.”
You can read more about the CCIR scheme HERE