UK conference spotlights global pig industry

The future of food and farming, including new opportunities to revolutionize the global pig industry, is top of the agenda at JSR Genetics’ 22nd Technical UK Conference, “The Next Agricultural Revolution,” in September.The keynote speaker is the UK government’s chief scientific adviser Sir John Beddington, who will speak on genetic development and sustainable intensification within the pig industry, as well as its environmental responsibilities. Beddington recently commissioned the “Foresight Report,” a comprehensive review of food security, which warns that population growth and climate change will endanger food supplies in the future.
He will be followed by JSR managing director Dr. Grant Walling, who will present “Revolutionizing Global Pork Production,” which outlines his thoughts on the need for radical changes in the industry. "We are at a point where significant new technologies, with the potential to deliver the increased output we need to see in the pig industry, are not being used," said Walling. "We need to carefully scrutinize these technologies — whether they are breakthroughs in reproductive technology, cloning or GM — to take the next Herculean step forward, enabling food supply to keep pace with population growth."
Other presentations during the two-day event will include representatives from the pig supply industry, who also are facing challenges of keeping pace with rapidly changing industry demands. Magnus Westerkamp, managing director of Big Dutchman Pig Equipment, will discuss “How consumer demand affects the development of pig equipment,” while Mick Hazzledine, pig nutritionist at Premier Nutrition, will identify the major challenges in feeding pigs in a changing market place.