BPHS
Scheme Q&A
For full details about the BPEX Pig Health Improvement Project and how you can get free BPHS membership visit: www.pighealth.org.uk
Questions About The Pig Health Scheme
How much do I have to pay to participate in the scheme?
The membership fee for participating in the three year scheme is just £150 + VAT.
In addition to BPEX levy funds, Defra, Boehringer Ingelheim, Fort Dodge, Intervet, Janssen Animal Health, Merial and Pfizer are providing over 50% of the funding for this project. The support of these companies has been essential in establishing the scheme and has significantly reduced the scheme membership fee from the equivalent of £300 per assurance scheme member per year to just £50 per year.
I am a weaner producer should I sign up for this scheme?
This scheme is designed only to record health information for finished pigs at the point of slaughter. Therefore it is not directly suitable for businesses selling pigs for finishing.
What do I have to do if I wish to participate in the scheme?
Simply complete the enclosed membership form checking and amending details regarding that assured unit and adding your e-mail address should you wish to receive your reports electronically.
Then tick and sign the data protection section.
Return the completed form with a cheque for £176.25 (inc VAT) per unit payable to ‘Agriculture Horticulture Development Board ’ to:
BPEX Pig Health Scheme, BPEX, Stoneleigh Park, Kenilworth, Warwickshire, CV8 2TL.
What will happen if I don’t participate in the scheme?
If you send pigs to one of the participating abattoirs on an assessment day the assessing vet will record the lesion scores for your batch of pigs however you and your vet will not receive any results.
The lesion data will be held on the database but under an anonymous code.
If I join the scheme who else will receive my reports?
The health reports generated by the scheme relating to your batch of pigs will be issued to the following people:
- You as owner of that batch of pigs
- The nominated veterinary practice linked to your unit
- The abattoir where your pigs were slaughtered
- Scheme sponsors
Why should I allow my health score to be passed on to scheme sponsors?
The total cost for operating the scheme for Great Britain for three years is over £1.5 million.
In recognition of this significant level of financial support BPEX wishes to provide the sponsors with average results for each scheme member and the address of that member.
How can I be sure that I am sent the correct results on my pigs?
Before any vet is allowed to participate in the scheme and undertake health scoring they are required to attend a training course.
At the beginning of an assessment day the assessing vet is responsible for recording their details, the abattoir they are attending and the date.
For each batch of pigs assessed the vet is required to record the slapmark at the time of assessing the pig on the slaughterline.
At the end of the assessment day the vet is required to cross check the slapmarks of all pigs assessed with the abattoir kill sheet and record the assurance number for those pigs.
Results will only be sent out if the slapmark and assurance numbers are correct.
The vet will not score your pigs if the slapmark is not clearly and immediately legible.
Which abattoirs are participating in the scheme?
The following abattoirs are participating in the scheme:
| Bowes of Norfolk | Watton |
| Cheale Meats Ltd | Brentwood |
| Cranswick Country Foods Plc | Preston |
| Ensors Abattoir | Cinderford |
| F A Gill Ltd | Wolverhampton |
| Tulip UK | Spalding |
| Tulip UK | Linton |
| Tulip UK | Westerleigh |
| Tulip UK | Dukinfield |
| Vion | Malton |
| Vion | Wiveliscombe |
| Woodhead Bros | Colne |
| H G Blake | Norfolk |
| G Wood & Sons | Nottingham |
When will my pigs be assessed?
The assessment days when vets will be in abattoirs assessing carcases for this scheme are different for each abattoir. .
Assessment dates are also be available from www.bpex.org.uk or by contacting the administration centre on 02476 478 877.
Depending on the size of the abattoir and the number of batches slaughtered, abattoirs will have either five or seven assessment days every three months so in most abattoirs there will be an assessment day every other week.
When will I receive my report?
The scheme aims to send out reports within 48 hours of receiving the data from the assessing vet. If you have any queries regarding the delivery of reports please call 02476 478 877.
How long will the scheme last?
The new BPEX Pig Health scheme will operate from July 2008 to July 2011.
Who should I contact about the operation of the scheme or about the report I have received?
SAC (Scottish Agricultural College) is providing administration for the scheme. SAC currently provide administration for a similar scheme in Scotland and have considerable experience and should be able to answer any queries you may have on the scheme.
Scheme administration enquiries: [email protected] or 02476 478 877
