On-farm best practice from across the major pig producing countries in Europe will be captured and disseminated via a new knowledge-sharing project.
The EU PiG Innovation Group (EU PiG) aims to support the competitiveness of the European pig industry through identifying and sharing ground breaking innovations and validated best practices. The project, led by AHDB, is funded by the European Commission, building an expert network of 19 organisations representing 13 European member states.
Over four years, EU PiG will focus on innovation and best practice in four broad thematic areas, identified as the main challenges currently facing the industry; health management, precision production, welfare and meat quality.
Best practice will be identified through a novel ‘EU PiG Grand Prix’. These annual, local contests will identify best practice in each thematic area, with producers going on to compete at a European level for the coveted title of ‘EU PiG Ambassador’. Ambassadors will be selected via a robust evaluation of their best practice, taking into consideration current state of art and economic benefits. The resulting award winning best practice will be celebrated and shared with other producers.
Each year, the contest will focus on different topics under each of the four themes, selected through consultation with the industry and with input from technical experts, to take into account industry trends and emerging issues. This year the topics are; bio-security, reduction of antimicrobial medication, reduction of boar taint, innovation in short food supply chain, castration methods, tail docking, smart water usage and feeding management.
The EU PiG Grand Prix is currently open for entries and actively seeking best practice in these areas. The contest is coordinated at a local level by the project’s 13 Regional Pig Innovation Groups (RPIGs). In addition to identifying local best practice, they are also responsible for identifying future topics and disseminating best practice.
If you have an innovative best practice in one of this year’s specific topics, you can enter via www.eupig.eu and we will put you in touch with your local RPIG representative. This year’s contest is open until the end of March 2017.