Pig World, in association with the National Pig Association and BPEX, has announced the launch of the The National Pig Awards, a scheme designed to recognise and reward best practice and encourage wider adoption of successful processes and techniques.
Unlike other award schemes, these awards are exclusively for the UK pig industry, organised on behalf of the industry by the industry’s magazine. Like access to Pig World itself, access to information on finalists and winners will be closely controlled and restricted to bona fide members of the industry.
The winners will be announced at a prestigious awards ceremony at The Royal Garden Hotel, London, on Tuesday, November 4, 2014. All finalists will receive two complimentary tickets to the awards ceremony and be able to network with the whole industry at the event.
There are a number of awards and sponsors, but the main award, Pig Producer of the Year, is supported by principal sponsor BOCM PAULS and is split into single-site and multiple-site categories. Shortlisted sites will be visited by experienced judges and judged against a range of agreed criteria.
There are also a number of specialist categories designed to cover the entire industry. These are:
Trainee of the Year (sponsored by Zoetis)
Young Pig Farmer of the Year (sponsored by Boehringer Ingelheim)
Stockman of the Year (sponsored by MSD Animal Health)
Contract Finisher of the Year (sponsored by Virkon)
Producer Retailer of the year (sponsored by Rattlerow Farms)
The Herd Productivity Award (sponsored by Huvepharma)
Investor in Training Award (sponsored by Meadow Quality)
Innovation of the Year (in association with BPEX)
NPA AIG Member of the year (in association with National Pig Association)
Information Technology Award (sponsored by ACMC Ltd)
And we’re pleased to announce that the NPA’s Chris Brant Award will also be presented at the event.
As an incentive to enter, the Pig Producer of the year will receive £2,500, and there will be £500 each for Stockman, Young Pig Farmer and Trainee of the Year.
“We’re delighted to have got these awards off the ground,” Pig World‘s publisher, John Lewis, said. “They’re the product of very detailed conversations with our partners, especially the NPA, and have been designed specifically to meet the needs of pig producers.
“Apart from the cash, finalists and winners have much to gain from these awards in terms of recognition and profile within the industry, as well as staff motivation.
“We’re very clear that information on finalists and winners can be sensitive and must be kept within the industry.
“The awards ceremony is a great opportunity on the evening before the David Black award for the whole industry to celebrate success, as well as meet and make business contacts.”
The NPA’s general manager, Zoë Davies added: “The NPA has worked hard with Pig World and BPEX to ensure that these awards are relevant and add value to our industry. We fully support them and would encourage our members to enter.”
For more information visit: www.nationalpigawards.co.uk