Livestock Information Programme ‘pivotal’ for the UK

The UK government’s Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Traceability Design User Group (TDUG) gave a key update to industry on the Livestock Information Programme (LIP) at an event  in London, held yesterday (3 September).

With support from the government, food chain and farming groups, the event updated key stakeholders, including the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Rural Affairs Lord Gardiner.

Minette Batters, the president of the National Farmers Union, said: “We have a once-in-a-generation opportunity to drive positive change with the Livestock Information Programme.

“We believe that the LIP will put in place a foundation that we can build on to bring our sector together, connecting producers, markets and processors. It will enable risk-based trading and for us to evidence the quality of our products.

“For the first time, the livestock sector will be able to lead the way in British agriculture, building a national system that provides powerful insight from which they can drive better profit through cost reduction, maximising price through provenance and securing the markets that best suit their products.

“It really is a pivotal time for the Programme and I’m thrilled to see such great progress enabled by the partnership across the industry.”

The chairman of TDUG, and a livestock farmer, John Cross, said: “We are in an unprecedented position where the ambitions and needs of government and industry are totally aligned and this is a unique opportunity to achieve something incredibly smart together and make the UK meat and livestock industry world-class.”

The group discussed the livestock industry, working in partnership with Defra, and how it aims to develop world leading standards of livestock traceability in the UK.

The vision that the members share, say the group, is one of developing a competitive trade advantage, making livestock farmers more efficient.

Ideas discussed a push for resilience and responsiveness to animal disease, driving innovation, interoperability and the productivity of farmers. The group aims to introduce these improvements throughout the sector.

The TDUG is made up of a partnership of 22 supply chain and government organisations, including the NFU, Red Tractor and the Animal and Plant Health Agency.