Pig Health Scheme back up and running

The Pig Health Scheme uses specially trained vets to assess carcases and their plucks for 12 different health conditions. This provides post-mortem data on pigs and a valuable assessment of the current health status of a herd, which can help you and your vet to make informed decisions about disease control and monitor the impact of any changes.

During the coronavirus pandemic, the Pig Health Scheme was put on hold to avoid non-essential staff being present in abattoirs. The impact of the pandemic, coupled with Brexit, saw many of our assessors move jobs or countries, and since then, we have been working to get the scheme back up and running at full speed.

Assessor training

We have now recruited and trained a new cohort of assessors, which brings us back to full capacity.

To ensure assessments are accurate and complete, and so you can get a clear picture of what is happening on your unit, assessors must complete comprehensive training and quality control – we have not reduced or compromised this during these challenging times.

Training and quality assurance visits are provided by experienced, practising pig vets, both in the classroom and in abattoirs. New assessors can only begin assessing for the Pig Health Scheme once they have successfully passed their training. This means that you can be confident in the data you receive.

Assessment dates

We publish assessment dates for each abattoir on our website, along with any other relevant information or updates about the scheme. This means you can check which dates an assessor will be present at your local abattoir and you can plan loads accordingly.

Make sure you check regularly to stay up to date about any changes that could affect you.

Register for the Pig Health Scheme

If you are not already signed up to the Pig Health Scheme, you can sign up via Pig Hub. The scheme is free of charge and is likely to be operating at an abattoir you already use.

Reports are available to you and your vet 48 working hours after each assessment (via Pig Hub). An additional report is also produced at the end of every quarter, which shows trends and progress in your pigs over the three-month period.

If you have any questions about the scheme, get in touch via: PHS@ahdb.org.uk