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A
new pig development centre linking academics with pig producers aims
to
help the UK's pig industry maintain its position as a world leader.
The National Pig Development Centre, funded by the British Pig Executive
(BPEX), will create the largest facility for pig research, development
and
knowledge transfer in Britain, bringing together top
researchers from the universities of Leeds and Newcastle and the
Government's Veterinary Laboratories Agency (VLA) in Thirsk, Yorkshire.
Key to the project is the link via BPEX with pig producers
to ensure
that research findings can be translated promptly into good practice
on the
farm and that any problems there can be addressed quickly through
research. The centre will include a team of knowledge transfer specialists
from BPEX
who will work with the researchers to ensure their work is disseminated
to
industry and will liaise with farmers to identify issues where research
is
needed.
Areas already identified by the centre for research include
analysing the
benefits of new sire lines, assessing how to manage variations in
meat
quality without affecting customer demand, ways to reduce the seasonal
effects on production for the 25 percent of pigs produced outdoors
in the UK
and looking at the best ways to refurbish buildings to improve pig
health
and performance.
Dr Helen Miller, from the University of Leeds and co-director
of theCentre said: "Britain has some fantastic research going on
in pig production, but this doesn't always filter through to the farming
community." Our pig industry has had a tough time over the last
ten years but
initiatives like this are helping make things better. " The research expertise
exists to enable farmers to get the best from their
livestock and the new centre will ensure they are able to benefit from
our
work."
The other co-directors are Professor Sandra Edwards of
Newcastle University and Professor Stan Done of the VLA.
BPEX Director of Pig Industry Development, Mark Wilson, said: "The
Pig
Development Centre will help to increase the speed with which information
is
disseminated to and from the industry and give us a single point of contact
with leading groups of academics who have been extremely proactive in
wanting to see a successful, thriving UK pig industry."
The centre was officially launched in Leeds on October
6.
[6 Oct 06]
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