The BPEX Pig Health Scheme (BPHS) has been extended for a further 12 months.
The BPEX board decided that the scheme should continue following discussions at its January meeting, and BPHS will continue to be operated by Vetscore Ltd, which will have its contract extended to spring 2015.
The scheme is being retained while BPEX continues its work with the Food Standards Agency (FSA) and abattoirs to develop the current Collection and Communication of Inspection Results (CCIR) process to provide a similar quality of post-mortem data on pig health issues as is currently delivered by veterinary assessment through the BPHS.
A transition process is underway to incorporate key elements of the current BPHS system into a single, cost-effective CCIR system that provides good-quality abattoir post-mortem data feedback.
Health data from pigs post-slaughter is a valuable source of information for vets and farmers to manage disease, and improve carcase quality and performance efficiency. BPEX recognises that, if the data is to be used for decision making, there needs to be confidence that the data is robust and reliable.