Sofina Foods Europe has kick-started a new resilience programme for its UK and Irish pig farmers “with the aim of creating a more connected and sustainable supply chain”.
Launched by the Karro Food Group and Young’s Seafood owner’s new group agriculture director Graham Wilkinson, ‘Sofina Connect’ will see customers work with the processor and its farmer suppliers to support improvements in areas ranging from animal health and welfare to business resilience and the environment.
“At a time when domestic food security is more important than ever and demand for British pork is rising, it’s essential we strengthen the pork supply chain in the UK and Ireland,” the former AHDB CEO said. “The industry faces shared challenges but too often it is producers on the ground that are left to bear the risk and cost of making improvements with no clear direction on what the industry really needs.
“We are facing into these challenges with Sofina Connect,” he added. “By sharing risk across the supply chain, we can support farmers to continually improve in areas that matter to customers and consumers.”
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The programme will consist of six “pillars of activity” focusing on animal health and welfare, a welfare hub to provide greater supply chain transparency, and an R&D network consisting of farmers to address knowledge gaps and drive innovation.
There will also be a commitment to improve environmental and natural resources; a push for peer-to-peer learning; and economic support to develop an adaptable and sustainable supplier base.
It will operate a points-based system where farmers can select areas that are most relevant to their units to undertake activity on.
Points will be weighted towards areas where progress is of most importance, and standards will be regularly reviewed to ensure they remain above the industry baseline and drive improvement across the sector.
Wilkinson added: “Sofina Connect gives us a real opportunity to bring the industry together and take decisive action that supports these farmers to move the dial in all areas of pig production, ultimately benefiting both their businesses and the wider industry.
“We are currently consulting with customers and our farmer suppliers on the final details of the programme, to ensure it is practical to implement and comprehensively covers every area needed to drive forward the UK and Irish pork industry.”
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