Passion for pigs leads to Nuffield honour for vet tech

Veterinary technician Nicola Bowers of Farmvet Integrated Livestock Services has been awarded a Nuffield Farming Scholarship, sponsored by AHDB and the Yorkshire Agricultural Society.

Nicola’s route into agriculture was unconventional. Growing up in East Sussex without farming roots, she discovered her passion for pigs while completing a MSc in Applied Animal Behaviour and Welfare.

Since then, she has spent more than a decade working hands-on with producers across the UK, specialising in pig welfare, training and farm consultancy.

Nicola has worked closely with loose and flexible farrowing systems for 12 years and has seen many different designs and practical approaches in the field.

Her Nuffield Farming study – flexible farrowing and the hyper-prolific sow: is it possible to have it all? – tackles one of the most pressing questions in modern pig production: how to manage increasingly large litters within systems designed to enhance sow welfare.

By investigating how other countries successfully combine flexible farrowing and hyper-prolific genetics, Nicola hopes to bring back practical solutions that can be adapted for British farms.

She believes the project could help guide the industry’s shift towards systems that are both productive and welfare friendly, saying:

“I hope my study will provide answers and highlight any training needs to support a positive transition toward flexible farrowing.”

Our sponsorship underlines AHDB’s commitment to championing research and knowledge exchange in the pig sector, encouraging forward-thinking professionals like Nicola to help shape a resilient, progressive future for UK pig farming.