Decision while Food Standards Agency works on replacement scheme
A health scheme that provides disease data on slaughtered pigs, is to be extended for a further year, it has been announced.
The announcement by BPEX, part of the Agriculture and Horticulture Development board, follows a meeting by its board on January 15.
The board had already extended the BPEX Pig Health Scheme (BPHS) by three months to the end of March at its meeting in November.
The scheme will now be extended until March 31 next year.
The decision, it said, would allow time for BPEX to continue its work with the Food Standards Agency and abattoirs on a replacement scheme.
The Collection and Communication of Inspection Results (CCIR) scheme is being devised to provide a similar quality of post mortem pig data as is delivered currently by the BPHS veterinary assessment.
The data from slaughtered pigs provides valuable information for both veterinary surgeons and farmers on how best to manage pig diseases and improve carcass quality.
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