British pig production is the most forward-looking in Europe, pig industry leaders will tell MEPs in Brussels on Thursday morning.
A National Pig Association (NPA) team, headed by chairman, Richard Longthorp, will take part in a specially arranged British breakfast with MEPs to update them on the strengths and potential of the British industry.
The breakfast message will focus on the UK industry’s “skilling-up programme” in readiness for the global food challenges of the future, along with details of “ground-breaking animal welfare audits and an advanced tracing system” for every UK pig.
“Combine this can-do attitude with the fact that 90% of our pigs are covered by an independently-audited quality assurance scheme and almost a third are also inspected by RSPCA for its animal welfare label, and you can see we really do have something to shout about,” said Mr Longthorp.
The breakfast, organised by the National Farmers Union (NFU) in association with NPA, will also be used to deliver the message that the UK industry is “unsubsidised, close to our customers and working closely with government and regulators to meet societal aspirations”.
The NPA/NFU party will then ask MEPs to help the UK take “further giant strides, by championing our products and our methods”.