The pigmeat sector can “bring a lot to the table” in its relationship with the newly re-branded Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board (AHDB), according to the organisation’s chief executive, Jane King.
Speaking to Pig World during the re-branding launch at Cereals, she highlighted BPEX “as it was” as a body which had been doing some really good work, particularly around exports and market development.
“This is very progressive work,” she said, “which other sectors can undoubtedly learn from.”
With AHDB becoming joined-up and going much more to a functional working arrangement, in fact, the pork sector team would be able to share a lot of what they were doing with others within the organisation. In addition, the sector would also “benefit from some of the great work that is going on in other areas”.
Commenting that the changes underway at AHDB were designed to enable the organisation to become much more performance-driven and accountable to levy payers, Ms King added that the new structure would be “much more beneficial for the pig sector”.
“This is because you’ll have a ‘pigs champion’ in place who will be working very closely with the external marketplace and with sector board members, setting strategy and working out where money should be spent,” she said.
Ms King also commented that AHDB’s new functional structure meant that the organisation’s “pigs champion” would be freed from the task of leading a “great big team” to concentrate instead on making sure that the workforce delivers “exactly what the pig sector wants” and to “hold us to account if we don’t deliver as high a standard as you require”.
Headline image: Model livestock, including pigs, featured as part of the AHDB re-branding display at Cereals.
