ANOTHER £400,000 has been invested in grants to improve the supply chain and bring benefits to British pig producers. The grants are part of the British Pig Executive (BPEX) Supply Chain Grant Scheme and cover six projects. These range from increasing the presence of quality British pork in foodservice, to a website designed to help pig producers sell their products.
BPEX marketing manager Chris Lukehurst said: "These grants make a real difference to independent producers' ability to grow their businesses. "Essentially, we are looking for applicants who can prove that the project will continue to pay dividends and benefit the entire supply chain after the grant funding has ceased." Applications for the next round of grants can be made until Friday July 9.
Anyone interested in applying for a grant should contact Chris Lukehurst on 01908 677 577, e-mail chris_lukehurst@mlc.org.uk.
The latest successful grant applications are:
Watchbell Limited: to expand further their range of quality pig meat products into the foodservice industry.
Big Barn Ltd: to link pork producers with local consumers to improve communication in the local supply chain and help pig producers find new markets.
Meadow Quality Limited: to capture, interpret and pass information back to producers to help them improve returns.
Manor Born: to upgrade and control the quality of its pig meat and to improve relationships with its suppliers.
Thames Valley Cambac: to create a dedicated supply chain to supply a major retailer with a differentiated traditionally cured Wiltshire bacon.
Aubrey Allen: to run a series of educational seminars at farms, factories, chef forums and retail outlets to promote free range pork as part of their customer assurance programme.
