Blog: Kerri joins AHDB as part of her Pig Industry Scholarship

Hi everyone, I’m Kerri Coffey and I recently joined AHDB Pork as part of my placement year following six months at Bedfordia Farms. I was lucky enough to be awarded a scholarship through the Pig Industry Scholarship Programme for my placement and it’s been a fantastic experience so far.

I must confess, before starting my studies at Harper Adams I had never had the opportunity to work with pigs. I thought I was going to Harper to further a career in the dairy sector, where my previous experience lies. However, I grasped the opportunity to get involved with the pig unit and soon fell in love with pigs and my passion was ignited.

Coming from a dairy background, I could not believe how progressive pig producers and the allied industry are. I am in awe of the genetics advancement and the effect on things such as litter size and feed efficiency. And that’s when I knew I wanted a new challenge and a career in the pig industry, so I decided to apply for the Pig Industry Scholarship with AHDB and Bedfordia Farms to get both practical and technical experience.

During this first half of my placement, I have really developed my practical skills – I can confidently detect heats, AI and pregnancy scan sows and gilts, and I completed weekly vaccinations. Additionally, I was fully involved in farrowing rooms – feeding, processing piglets, mucking out, assisting farrowing and weaning. My passion lies in behaviour, health and welfare, with a growing understanding of nutrition, and I have been helping with numerous farm trials relating to removing zinc from creep diets.

I am now starting my next chapter working with AHDB pork. I’ll be working with the Knowledge Exchange team visiting farms that have implemented free farrowing systems and exploring their stories. I’ll also be gathering data on farrowing that will support industry professionals and policy makers on decisions about the future of farrowing crates.

I plan to share regular updates on my activity via the AHDB website, so stay tuned or get in touch if you want to know more.