It’s not nearly being huge. It’s about being efficient with it. These had been the sensible phrases to Phil Woodall a few years in the past from his buddy and predecessor at Thames Valley Cambac (TVC), the late and massively revered Andrew Stockings.
That’s nonetheless very a lot the mantra that drives the United Pig Cooperative (UPC), which was shaped earlier this yr from a merger between pig advertising teams TVC, Scottish Pig Producers and Scotlean.
The approaching collectively provides the brand new organisation a considerable share of the ‘accessible’ pigs – these not owned by the massive built-in pig companies.
UPC offers with just about each pig processor ‘killing quite a lot of hundred pigs’ within the nation, in addition to a excessive proportion of impartial pig producers, together with lots of the greater ones.
The formation of UPC adopted calls throughout and after the pig disaster of 2021 and 2022 for nearer co-operation between impartial producers to supply elevated effectivity and higher effectiveness that comes with scale within the market.
However Mr Woodall pressured that the advertising of pigs – primarily completed pigs, but additionally weaners – with all of the logistics that entails, is just one a part of the job.
UPC can also be more and more targeted on serving to producers and processors, and, by affiliation, retailers, ship on their necessities round effectivity, pig well being and welfare, sustainability and traceability.
The merger
TVC had grown by way of acquisitions and organically because it started advertising pigs in 1975 within the Thames Valley basin, in Oxfordshire, increasing over the south and south-west of England, particularly.
SPP began as Grampian Pig Producers in 1979 and offered cooperative pig advertising companies for members throughout Scotland and Northern Eire.
Scotlean Pigs, established in 1980, marketed pigs in Scotland and primarily northern England.
SPP and Scotlean had shaped a partnership with Pilgrim’s to run Scotland’s Brechin abattoir, till it was taken over by the Browns Meals Group in 2022. But it surely was more and more evident lately that they had been hampered by there being just one main abattoir in Scotland.
In the meantime, the impartial pig sector, UK-wide, was underneath growing strain from a number of crises that bothered it, prompting an trade restructure that has seen the built-in corporations develop in affect.
With this in thoughts, Mr Woodall, TVC’s normal supervisor, and Charlie Allen, its chair on the time, met with SPP chair Roderic Bruce and managing director Andy McGowan and their counterparts at Scotlean, Richard Butterworth and Ian Paragreen.
“We mentioned whether or not there was scope to get collectively and take some prices out. We might all see, after the catastrophe of 2021-22, that there have been fewer independents and we would have liked extra cooperation,” he mentioned.
Talks continued because it grew to become apparent that there have been mutual advantages available and the deal was introduced in January 2025, with the said goal of ‘enhancing market effectiveness, operational effectivity and member assist, making certain a sustainable future for impartial producers throughout the UK’.
The deal was accomplished in March and, up to now, issues have gone comparatively easily, in line with Mr Woodall.
He mentioned this had been helped by the truth that the individuals on the helm of the three organisations, Ian Paragreen at Scotlean, Mr McGowan and himself, shared a mutual need to make it work, with none of them looking for to be in general cost.
Mr Woodall mentioned he and Mr Paragreen are ‘not that removed from retiring’, whereas Mr McGowan is specializing in the sustainability and technical aspect of the brand new enterprise. In consequence, UPC has been recruiting for a brand new managing director and has already concluded the primary spherical of interviews.
“The timing of the merger was good and there have been no egos concerned on this – nobody is combating for general management,” Mr Woodall mentioned.
There was a problem with formally altering the title at Corporations Home after the corporate acquired some incorrect instruction, however this ought to be resolved quickly. “General, given how tough mergers like this may be, it has gone in addition to it might have executed,” he mentioned.
Including worth
The Scotlean and SPP producers are benefiting from the added scale already, partly as a result of it reduces the corporate’s prices, in contrast with after they had been working individually. This lowers the dealing with cost to these producers, who additional profit by way of elevated entry to the market, Mr Woodall added.
“That notably helps these guys in Scotland, who at all times needed to be cautious up to now as a result of they’d all their eggs in a single basket,” he mentioned.
The advertising aspect is about channelling the precise inventory to the precise outlet, making certain members get good worth for his or her inventory and ironing out the quite a few logistical points concerned for them.
However it is just one side of what UPC gives. Its web site highlights a spread of companies, together with knowledge evaluation, well being suggestions, a evaluation of breeding inventory from genetics corporations and recommendation throughout varied areas.
There’s extra it might probably do on this space, in line with Mr Woodall. “We’ve at all times given sufficient added worth to producers by way of contract negotiations and all the remaining, however we would have liked so as to add extra worth for the processor. The way in which we might do this was to take a look at what their clients, the retailers, are pressurising them to do,” he mentioned.
“They’re beginning to speak in regards to the atmosphere, sustainable soya, carbon footprint, free-farrowing and varied different parts. We need to use our scale to ship on these goals, which makes our provide much more worthwhile.”
Worth of information
Key to UPC delivering advantages in these areas is utilizing its scale for the gathering of helpful knowledge.
“We take slaughter knowledge and enter it into our system, which analyses it earlier than it goes again to producers. Our new Scottish producers have actually seen the advantages, as they’ll see, for instance, how a lot they’re shedding due to grading or not being in the precise weight vary.
“That info is so underused. Producers generally say to me they want extra money for his or her pigs, however I can present them there may be 6p or 7p they might earn for themselves simply by ensuring their choice for the slaughter course of is healthier. My recommendation is to at all times use the information – the information is your buddy.
“However we will additionally ship knowledge up the chain so as to add worth for the processor – for instance, on carbon footprinting or soya provide.
“The dimensions of our operation means, sooner or later, we will make use of an organization to look at all our farms and accumulate that knowledge, in order that’s it’s a one-stop store.
“The processors must make use of individuals to make sure compliance, however we will present pigs with all these bells and whistles, and save them that price,” he mentioned.
UPC can also be looking for to collect knowledge on pigs from abattoirs to assist enhance pig well being and effectivity alongside the chain, one thing that has been largely lacking because the demise of the British Pig Well being Scheme.
“Usually strains are slowed down as a result of too many pigs are on the detained line. On some days, we will be answerable for 80% of the kill in a specific plant, and if we will put a vet in there to gather that key well being info and ship it again to producers, we can assist enhance the pigs’ well being.
“Meaning fewer pigs going up the detained line, which, in flip, represents an actual backside line enchancment to the processors. In the meanwhile we’re liaising with vet practices to do a few of this work.”
Improved contracts
TVC has been concerned within the shift in the direction of longer-term, extra steady, retail-led contracts, usually with a robust cost-of-production component, because the pig disaster.
Mr Woodall welcomed the event, which he mentioned was pushed as a lot by retailers seeing empty cabinets because the ‘calamity’ that hit pig producers in 2021 and 2022.
He additionally welcomed new laws governing pig contacts, as a result of come into power in August, aiming to result in higher equity within the provide chain.
He mentioned the principle advantage of the brand new laws is the requirement for a discover interval that have to be adhered to by each events.
“It’ll drive higher behaviour and convey extra readability. However there should, in fact, even be flexibility on each side,” he mentioned. “This have to be balanced – you may’t count on processors to simply accept a variation in provide from producers however then be held to contracted numbers when it fits the producer.”
One space that he urged producers to give attention to, nevertheless, was higher forecasting of close by pig provides.
“I don’t need to get to a state of affairs the place producers are rewarded financially, or in any other case, for the flexibility to match what they forecast, as has been the case in years passed by,” he mentioned. “Producers must voluntarily give an correct forecast of what’s coming by way of for the intervals forward, whether or not that’s 4, eight or 13 weeks.
“Processors can’t take in that variability – for instance, in scorching climate. But when they know they will be getting extra or fewer pigs over the approaching weeks, they’ll plan for it – for instance, by killing pigs a bit earlier or later, relying on the forecast.”
Pig manufacturing outlook
Mr Woodall is upbeat in regards to the outlook for the UK pig sector. “If I am going again over the previous 40 years, extra land has been bought out of worthwhile pig manufacturing than some other type of livestock manufacturing.
“However the pig trade has been good for individuals who have been ready to adapt and be environment friendly and work at it. Gone are the times when you can be bang common and nonetheless do very nicely. You’ve acquired to be good at what you do,” he mentioned.
He mentioned there have been three important dangers for aspiring younger pig producers – the volatility of the meat market, publicity to international feed commodity costs and on-farm manufacturing variability.
“The primary two are probably the most important of these. So, there’s a good future for aspiring younger producers if they’re good producers and determine to lock into long-term contracts to remove two of the three huge dangers.”
He mentioned one of many largest variations for pig producers at the moment is that the ‘plus’ component in cost-of-production-plus contracts is now real looking.
“I feel the long run is vibrant for pig manufacturing. If you’re good at what you do, you’ll get a good margin,” he added.
UPC future
As for UPC, he wish to see it proceed to develop, however there may be way more to it than that. “We haven’t acquired targets for development, however the extra members we’ve got, the extra environment friendly we change into and the extra we will add worth to our clients. However, basically, we simply should be as efficient as potential for the members we symbolize,” Mr Woodall mentioned.
He desires to maneuver additional away from conditions, frequent up to now, the place processors and producers are battling towards one another, and he insisted processors had no should be cautious of UPC’s rising scale.
“It ought to be all about cooperation and shared objectives round welfare, carbon, sustainability and so forth, in order that when processors actually drill down and take a look at what advertising organisations price them, within the grand of scheme of issues, it’s minuscule towards the advantages we ship.”
Whereas Mr Woodall is considering retirement sooner or later, his work isn’t completed at UPC. “I’ve had 47 years battling for impartial pig producers and, earlier than I am going, I need to not less than attempt to set up an atmosphere the place independents can proceed and thrive.
“Once you take a look at the size of the processors nowadays, impartial producers must discover a solution to be listened to. Collectively, they’ve a voice by way of UPC.”
Rob Beckett
Phil Woodall mentioned the lack of UPC’s chair, Rob Beckett, (see p39) left an enormous gap, each on a private {and professional} stage. Rob, joint managing director of Yorkwold, grew to become chair of TVC in 2023 and carried on the function with UPC.
“Rob made a major contribution to the place we’re at the moment,” Mr Woodall mentioned. “He by no means checked out it from Yorkwold’s standpoint, however by way of what we will do for all members. He was at all times an important sounding board to debate issues and one of many nicest individuals you can ever meet. He is a big loss to us all.”
