The BPA Executive have agreed that a temporary closure of the office is necessary to protect the health of our staff and their families.
The Association is first and foremost a pedigree breed society and our first priority will be to continue providing herdbook services to members. Although the office is closed, we have put in place facilities for our staff to work from home. Birth notes, registrations and transfers can still be processed and the on-line herdbook will continue to be updated at the end of each working day.
We will continue to answer emails regarding pedigree activity but I am afraid that we will not be able to provide the same level of telephone support.
If you have questions about your pedigree records please try to submit them by email. We will try to pick up voicemail messages but email will be the best way to contact us for the time being.
The impact of the Coronavirus pandemic is having an immediate affect on our members in many ways. The closure of restaurants and famers markets is causing a serious problem for many pedigree breeders and their businesses.
We are liaising with Government on all issues affecting the pig industry due to Coronavirus. Please speak to your breed reps and regional reps about any particular issues of concern such as the availability of feed or access to abattoirs. We will collate these and make Defra aware of any problems.
You can find details of your breed and regional reps here
Breed Reps http://britishpigs.org.uk/breedreps.htm
Regional Reps http://britishpigs.org.uk/regional_reps.htm
There is advice on the AHDB website for Coronavirus here
https://ahdb.org.uk/coronavirus-advice-for-farmers-and-growers#h28
and the following organisations are available to offer support for the rural community
The Farming Community Network (FCN)
Website: www.fcn.org.uk Phone: 03000 111 999
You Are Not Alone (YANA) – National Directory Of Rural Support Groups
Website: www.yanahelp.org Phone: 0300 323 0400
The Royal Agricultural Benevolent Institution (RABI)
Website: www.rabi.org.uk Phone: 0808 281 9490
We will continue to update you via email, the BPA website but most immediately through our Twitter account @BritishPigAssoc If you have a smart phone please consider following us for the latest updates. If you prefer not to use Twitter these posts can be seen live on the Pedigree Pork site in the Contacts section.
Marcus Bates 24/03/20