Events planned to gain feedback and review
A series of roadshows have been planned, in an effort to review the Red Tractor Pigs Standard and the design and operation of Real Welfare Assessments.
Planned for this winter, the roadshows' theme for discussion will be "Where are we now?".
The series follows the success and positive feedback from last winter's roadshows, which resulted in the formation of a Standards Review Working Group.
Output from this group has been fed into the formal review of Red Tractor Pigs Standard and will impact the revised version.
This winter will also see the establishment of a new Standards Review Working Group, again made up of pig producers, Red Tractor, BPEX, National Pig Association (NPA) and representatives from the Pig Veterinary Society (PVS).
A BPEX spokesperson has said: "The roadshows will be a great opportunity to demonstrate the proposed revised standard, with all the improvements generated by the Standards Review Working Group, to gauge reaction to the proposals and to discuss our progress so far.
"We are now some way into the introduction of Real Welfare Assessments to the Red Tractor Pigs Standard, and feedback from all sources is being gathered about how the assessments are working in practice."
Further details about the roadshow are said to be released shortly.
Two independent vets have launched a podcast to help owners strengthen their bond with pets. Dr Maggie Roberts and Dr Vanessa Howie, who have worked in both veterinary practice and major charities, are keen to use their experience to enable people to give pets a better life.
