Steve Reed OBE MP Steve Reed MP has been appointed Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Defra UK.

We have today reiterated our calls for a total ban on personal pork imports - ie the removal of the 2kg limit - as the risk of ASF spread from Europe grows. It is already in place for the sheep/goat sector. Why not pork? More here: npa-uk.org.uk/NPA_calls_for_…

What could a new veterinary agreement with the EU mean for the UK pig sector? Our analysis on how a new agreement could free up trade both ways, but, requiring a degree of formal regulatory alignment, will be far from simple to negotiate. pig-world.co.uk/news/news-anal…

On #BackBritishFarmingDay I’m delighted to support everyone involved in the food supply chain across my constituency and the country. We must do more to increase food security, improve biosecurity and support our farming businesses to optimise food production.

We are delighted to be launching our new, much-improved website today! Take a look and let us know what you think: nationalpigassociation.co.uk And here's what's new: nationalpigassociation.co.uk/we-have-a-new-…

RSPCA Assured is to ‘significantly’ increase the number of announced and unannounced visits to members to help restore the scheme’s credibility. This was one of a number of recommendations made in a review of the assurance scheme by auditors Crowe. pig-world.co.uk/news/rspca-ass…

Last night in the House of Commons, MPs from across the House continued to raise concerns about the #FamilyFarmTax

NPA chairman Rob Mutimer has urged pig producers to write to their MPs to highlight the devastating personal impact of the changes to Agricultural Property Relief on their futures. More here: nationalpigassociation.co.uk/npa-chair-urge…

Rob Mutimer: “It is absolutely ludicrous to say most family farms won’t be brought into this. I have spoken to many farmers about this, and it is clear that even people with average-sized farms will face inheritance tax bills of hundreds of thousands of pounds."

Fair enough. N

Shocking new figures showing the volume of illegal meat imports intercepted at the Port of Dover have prompted fresh calls from NPA for the Defra UK to ensure this work is properly funded. 6 tonnes alone was seized in just 14 hrs on Dec 6/7. pig-world.co.uk/news/shocking-…

Steve Reed says ‘sorry’ over APR reforms but offers no sign of a re-think, against the background of a noisy farmer #OFC25 protest. More here: pig-world.co.uk/news/reed-says…

Developed in partnership with Tesco’s long-term supplier, Cranswick, the TSPG will initially produce all Tesco’s Finest fresh pork, with the ambition of tripling in size over the next three years to produce all Tesco’s core fresh pork and sausages. pig-world.co.uk/news/tesco-re-…

A major announcement for the pig sector to start the day. Cranswick Plc has acquired JSR Genetics, adding genetics to its armoury and continuing its relentless growth. Fulls story: pig-world.co.uk/news/cranswick…

Funding for vital checks on illegal meat imports coming through @PortofDover might have to stop within weeks due to a lack of gov funding, EFRA Committee was told by DPHA's Lucy Manzano. Just one of many revelations in a powerful session. More here: pig-world.co.uk/news/vital-ill…

“If our funding is not secured, certainly within the next seven weeks, coming into year-end, these checks will stop because the local authorities are not in a position to fund them.”

The government will be complicit in a damaging future disease outbreak, if it does not address the gaping holes in our border controls, NPA chief executive Lizzie Wilson Lizzie Wilson told MPs today. pig-world.co.uk/news/78945.html

Less than two months after Germany's outbreak, foot-and-mouth-disease has been confirmed in Hungary for the first time in 50 years. pig-world.co.uk/news/breaking-…

If you watch one thing today… If you’re an environmentalist, a farmer, eat food, or care about the UK, you can be rightly appalled. Write to your MP. Defra UK The Labour Party Steve Reed the absolute shame.

“Making our voices heard” - my latest article in The Weekly Tribune on why it’s important for farmers to make an effort in terms of public engagement Visit magsubscriptions.com/weekly-tribune to subscribe and get your Monday morning update on the UK and EU pigmeat markets