PIES For All
UK - Environment equals more red tape may be a common perception, but if pig industry learns to work with legisators and regulators this may not be the case, says BPEX.
3 May 2007
3 minute read
Less red tape means fewer inspections, premiums for 'green' products and lower energy and water costs, says the British Pig Executive (BPEX).
It is leading a steering group aimed at understanding, developing and simplifying environmental strategy. The result is a discussion document called Pig Industry Environment Strategy (PIES).
The key aims are:
- Fewer inspections, less red-tape.
- Premiums for 'green' products, to help offset the cost of environment legislation.
- Reduced energy and water costs.
- Creation of an environment forum to work with the supply chain, government and regulators, to help deliver better regulation, better prices through the chain, and well-informed, happy customers.
- A knowledge hub to keep producers informed and to help them get it right.
- Proven delivery via quality assurance bolt-ons.
BPEX Chairman Stewart Houston said: "We can't carry on as we are. We simply have to reduce the burden of environmental regulation while at the same time we need a significant improvement in our environmental performance.
"PIES, the PIg Industry Environmental Strategy, will develop tools to manage the impacts of pig farming on the environment, demonstrate economic benefits from improved environmental performance and identify the research needed to advance our environmental performance."
The Steering Group believes PIES can bring benefits to producers including better use of resources, reduced impact on the environment, greater awareness among stakeholders, better regulation and a more popular 'greener' product.
A discussion document is available for comment and the more people who put forward ideas the better, says BPEX. It is available on the BPEX website, www.bpex.org.uk with a flash on the home page which goes directly to it. The deadline for comments is Friday, May 25.
