Healthy collaboration breeds new knowledge sharing between pig farmers and industry. Regional pig health schemes in Yorkshire, East Anglia, and East Midlands since 2009 have focused on disease control, training, and improving biosecurity. Success requires high biosecurity, motivated farmers, and collaboration between neighbors. The document discusses international best practices and establishing regional steering groups and clusters of local farmers to regularly meet and share information. The goal is a supportive producer network and building trust across the industry.

1. Healthy collaboration breeds a new
knowledge transfer mindset
Helen Clarke (BPEX) and Sam Hoste (Quantech Solutions)

2. Regional Pig Health Schemes
Yorkshire, Humberside, East Anglia, East Midlands
• YHH - 2009: Focus on
disease control
• EMPH - 2011: Training
(health and biosecurity)
• EPH - 2010: Biosecurity to
improve health status

3. Regional Health Programmes
• No pig farmers, no pig industry
• The larger the disease free area
• longer on average to breakdown
• longer payback period on investment
• Producer driven strategy
• Biosecurity
• Sharing
• Better diagnostics
• Collaboration

4. Producer Disclosure & Mapping
• Need producer EPH
permission to
complete survey
YHH

5. Central elements for success
Element of success The difficulty
High biosecurity Buy in of whole chain
Motivated farmers Funding fluctuations
Collaboration of neighbours Commitment, negative
neighbours
Right procedure for the Buy in from vets
problem

6. Where to start……………?
“Whole Chain” visit to France
• Producers: NPA & BPEX, individual & corporate
• Farm Assurance scheme
• Breeding Co’s (Allied Industries committee)
• Pharmaceutical Co’s
• Processing Co’s (BPMA)
• Vets: PVS, commercial, Defra, AHDB

7. Post-it
prioritisation
of
international
best-
practices

8. Back in Yorkshire….....
Regional Steering groups
• LOCAL!!!!!
• Local chair -farmer
• Local producers – integrated and farmer-owned
• Local supply chain (breed, feed, processors etc)
• Local veterinary surgeons

9. FIRST MEETING OF YHH
Whole supply chain launch meeting in Malton

10. Post-it session – Issues and Solutions

11. Splitting into local groups

12. Health district meetings and Regional Update
• Only Farmers & their vet
• Led by farmer who wanted to participate
• Updates, share ideas
• Maps and use of computer suite
• Form clusters – signup forms
YHH

13. Clusters
• Smaller groups of producers farming within 10 mile radius
• Meet to discuss biosecurity plans with vets and neighbours
• Agree to share full information about disease status
• Agree to submit joint application for funding

14. Allied Industries – EPH and YHH
Meetings to update Stakeholders
• How they can contribute to the schemes
• Guest speakers, brainstorming
Publication – “A Day in the Life”
• To illustrate full chain commitment
• Take away blame culture
Working on improving biosecurity – lorry washing,
delivery schedules

15. Smallholders
• Notifiable disease risk, producer concern
- Smallholder Leaflet
- Presence at Agric shows
- Articles in smallholder press
- VLA mtg with non specialist vets
- Trading Standards
- BPA assessment scheme

16. Vets
• Integral to success of the schemes – trust
• Meetings to encourage knowledge sharing
and influence the sceptics
• Influential to producers
• Encouraged KT with mixed practice vets

17. Producer Support Network
• From their neighbours
• From their vets
• From their suppliers
• From BPEX
Publications, coordination of meetings,
help with technology
• From the internet
Mapping, decision tools, biosecurity questionnaire

18. Trust
Financial state
of industry Responsibility Timescale
sharing
Leadership The barriers
Confidentiality
Apathy
Funding
delays Regional
differences
Apprehension

19. Thanks for keeping up!
• Any questions?