The NPA has announced it will be increasing its subscriptions from 2024 in response to rising costs and the loss of membership income on the back of the industry crisis.
But the association will, according to chief executive Lizzie Wilson, continue to ‘deliver tremendous value-for-money’ for all its members as its tight-knit team grapples with the big issues of the day.
The NPA board has agreed to a 15% increase in subs for 2024 with the fee subsequently increasing by annual inflation each year. NPA subs are based on breeding and finishing pig numbers, with NFU members receiving a 50% discount.
Another significant change – from 2025, agisters or contracted finishers will need to become members in their own right if the owner is a member, too. The primary producer will need to register their contracted sites for a nominal fee per site.
“This will enable us to have direct contact with the primary producer, which will really help when it comes to integrating membership data and getting a better picture of just who we represent, and also with NPA meetings, gathering and cascading information and, if necessary, dealing with incursions and disease outbreaks,” Lizzie said.
“We know there’s never a right time to increase subs and that our members have just been through an incredibly tough period financially.
“But we haven’t raised our fees for a very long time, and, over the past year we have lost a significant amount of subscription income due to producers exiting the sector and also sows being absorbed elsewhere, where we don’t recuperate the same fee.
“And, like many other businesses, we are also facing increased costs. So, we need to increase our subscriptions in order to maintain the same service to members.”
She praised the NPA’s small team – Rebecca Veale, Charlie Dewhirst and Andrea Tranter – for their ‘incredibly hard work on behalf of the sector’.
“There is going to be a lot more coming down the line, especially as the political parties gear up for the next General Election. I can give my absolute assurance to members that the team, backed by PIG, will step up and continue to deliver outstanding value-for-money,” Lizzie said in an interview for Pig World.
Rising costs
NPA chair Rob Mutimer said: “The board decided to increase subs because wage inflation and other costs have gone up since we last had a rise, while the big decline in the sow herd means we have lost a lot of members.
“We try to run the association as fleet-footedly as possible, but there comes a time where we have to invest or the association won’t be able to do the work we do.
“There are more challenges coming down the road from all Government departments on top of the really important work we are doing on the contractual practice review, and we need the resource in place to deal with it.”