Exotic diseases threatening the UK pig sector have been discussed at a special round-table meeting in London attended by nearly 50 industry representatives.
The meeting, which was held at Westminster, was called by the Pig Health and Welfare Council and included representatives from across industry, including feed companies, veterinarians, scientists, the NPA, BPEX, the BMPA, producers, Defra and the AHVLA.
By the end of the day, more than 30 recommendations had been made and all those present made a commitment to them.
These included:
- engaging with non-specialist vets to reach smallholders and widen understanding of the threats;
- communicating not only with commercial producers but also smallholders and hobby farmers; and
- highlighting the existence of excellent sources of surveillance information and improving the communication of that information to the whole industry.
The programme also included talks from industry specialists in key areas, and these were followed by workshop sessions with groups focusing on key issues, potential solutions, timescales and who would lead the action.