Well-known international pig industry consultant, Mike Varley, who worked for BPEX for a period, has died at the age of 74.
Having spent the first part of his career in academia, he moved into the feed industry, working for SCA Nutrition and Provimi. He then worked for BPEX for three years from August 2008, heading up its knowledge transfer and R&D teams.
For more than a decade, as director of the Pig Technology Company, he became a renowned international consultant for feed and pig production businesses, operating predominantly in China and the Far East.
He lived in Clifford, near Wetherby and was an honorary professor at the School of Bioscinces.
His friend, Yorkshire pig producer Richard Longthorp said: “I have known Mike since our days at Sutton Bonington together, where anybody who has been to ‘SB’ will know that (through ale and rugby!) friendships formed at SB are friendships for life.
“But beyond our friendship I had the utmost regard and respect for his scientific knowledge and intellect but more importantly his remarkable ability to distil down complex science into something that even I could understand.
“Our thoughts go out to Caroline and his boys Michael and Peter.”