East Anglian pig producers and farmers in the region are being encouraged to attend an AHDB Pork meeting, titled ‘Maintaining water quality in East Anglia’; with the view of helping secure the future of outdoor pig production.
The meeting will be held from 2.45pm-5.30pm on Monday 27 June at The George Hotel, Swaffham, Norfolk and Andrew Palmer, AHDB Pork’s knowledge exchange manager for the east, explains why producers should attend.
"The meeting will bring farmers and industry stakeholders together to discuss the issue of maintaining drinking water quality in East Anglia.
"It’s a great opportunity for producers and water companies to start working collaboratively and we believe that together we can help safeguard the future of outdoor production," says Andrew.
"When not managed correctly, farming practices can cause issues for water companies in terms of contaminating drinking water supplies.
"The meeting will help farmers to understand the issues water companies are facing and will also help them review and learn about farming techniques that will help protect watercourses," he adds.
Explaining the format of the meeting, Andrew says that various industry stakeholders will be presenting but open discussion will be key to the event’s success.
"A representative from Anglian Water will talk about the importance of maintaining water quality and the key issues that they’re facing.
"Following this, an environment officer from the Environment Agency (EA) will highlight the key regulations pig farmers face," explains Andrew.
"Attendees will then be given the opportunity to have an open discussion about their experiences before receiving practical management tips from the Farming & Wildlife Advisory Group (FWAG).
"A review of the current resources and support that is available from AHDB Pork will also take place towards the end of the meeting," he adds.
"I really would urge producers in the region to come along to what promises to be an informative afternoon. The aim of this meeting isn’t to point the finger – it’s about moving forwards and working together to safeguard the future of outdoor pig production."
The meeting will start promptly at 2.45pm on Monday 27 June 2016 at The George Hotel, Swaffham, Norfolk PE37 7LJ.
