The new chair of BPEX, Meryl Ward, has told National Pig Association (NPA) members to “batter down my door” if they believe she’s not doing what they think is needed in terms of pig industry interests. Â
According to a report on the NPA website, Mrs Ward (pictured) issued her open-door message to the association’s 2015-2017 Producer Group, stressing the importance of everyone within the industry working together at every opportunity.
She is also reported to have told the gathering that the pig-levy is “ring-fenced” and that she was there to make sure they received value for their levy.
As such, BPEX needed to abide by two key rules, namely not doing anything producers could do for themselves, while ensuring that what is done will add value to every levy-payer’s pound.
Highlighting AHDB work on updating the RB209 fertiliser manual and on carbon foot-printing as areas where collaboration could work to the benefit of pig producers, she added that she was pleased to have the opportunity, as a pig producer, to take forward the programme that had already been put together by the BPEX board.
She also welcomed the opportunity she’d been given to make the levy work harder for pig producers.