Pig World is delighted to announce the members of the judging panel of the National Pig Awards. Comprising of some of the best known industry figures, the panel includes producers and industry experts alike.
Officiating this year are:
Stewart Houston (Chair of Judges)
> We were delighted when Stewart agreed to step into the chairman’s role last year. There’s little we can say about him that hasn’t been said before! A CBE for services to the pig industry, David Black Award winner, previous chairman of BPEX and NPA…we could go on. Needless to say we’re thrilled Stewart is willing to commit his time to the National Pig Awards judging and the panel will benefit greatly from his experience.
Dr John Boyd
> Dr John Boyd is the national pig technical manager for Forfarmers. He’s a commercial pig nutritionist with more than 30 years’ experience. Extensive experience with on-farm advisory work in the UK and abroad, investigating the key issues facing pig producers from both a management and feeding point of view, have assisted him in improving the output of customers’ herds.
Mick Sloyan
> Mick is strategy director of AHDB Pork and deputy chief executive of AHDB. He has been with the levy body since its creation in 2001, and before that worked for the predecessor organisation, the Meat and Livestock Commission. He brings years of valuable industry experience to the judging table.
Sam Walton
> Sam Walton needs no introduction to the readers of Pig World. He is the founding editor of the title, a former pig producer and published author. He farms in Yorkshire when his current Pig World duties allow the time! He has unrivalled experience of British pig farms having visited most if not all (as well as a few in Thailand…) Prides himself on being able to find something new on every farm he visits.
John Lewis
> The publisher and owner of Pig World joins the judging panel for 2016. John brings general business management experience, which will assist with some of the business-focused awards such as investor in training.
David Owers
> David won the Single Site Producer of the Year in the inaugural awards in 2015. He operates a 700-sow farrow-to-finish unit that’s part of a larger 4,000-acre estate that is mostly arable, as well as having a beef suckler herd and a racehorse breeding stud. The panel will benefit hugely from his “producer eyes”.
Rick Buckle
> Rick was the winner of our overall Producer of the Year and Indoor Producer of the Year at the 2015 National Pig Awards. He has invested heavily in his unit, near Hull, in recent years expanding from 720 to 1,040 sows. This has meant spending a considerable sum on new buildings, but he feels the real key to the farm’s success has been regular monitoring of performance. He’s looking forward to being a judge as he knows it’ll be an excellent opportunity for him to see how others do things.
Lizzie Wilson
> The NPA’s policy services officer, Lizzie Wilson, has worked in the UK pig industry for 12 years. While much of her time is spent in Whitehall and Brussels these days, battling the increasing tide of welfare and environmental legislation, as a farmer’s daughter and a former employee of BQP and Elanco, she has a thorough grounding in practical pig production. All of which makes her ideally suited to judge the National Pig Award candidates.
The National Pig Awards is now in its third year after a highly successful launch in 2014 and excellent 2015 competition. The awards are organised by Pig World in association with the NPA, AHDB Pork and the BPA. Pig World publisher John Lewis said of the judging panel: “We felt it was very important to have a balance of technical experts and producers on the panel to ensure it has the necessary expertise. We’re delighted with the panel we have and would like to thank them for their time commitment.”
Any producers who missed the entry deadline and want to enter should contact Kay O’Brien on 01825 983105 ASAP to find out if late entries can still be taken.
