New BPA Pedigree Secretary

Sarah Howes has agreed to take on the role Pedigree Secretary for the British Pig Association from 1^st May 2025.

Sarah joined the BPA in 2019 to work on our website development and for more than 10 years she had her own herd of Middle White pigs.

Since 2023, when Diane Stanford was unable to continue working due to ill health, Grassroots have been providing a bureau service for our pedigree recording. Sarah will now oversee this work and report to the Conservation Committee on the management of our pedigree herdbooks.

The Board of Trustees has been working hard to restructure the Association so that the core services of pedigree recording and Herd Book maintenance can be sustained by income from membership and pedigree recording fees.

Our committees are now autonomous and manage their own meetings and programmes and they are expected to undertake fundraising like any other charity in order to support specific projects. The finances and overall management of the Association will be the responsibility of the Board. As part of this devolution, Marcus Bates will be retiring from the Association at the end of May.

As has been the case since 2023 the first point of contact for members with pedigree queries will be our pedigree helpline 01223 845096 where Helen and other members of the Grassroots team will be available to help. Your Breed Reps are of course an important source of help and advice. Sarah will be working with our Breed Reps to resolve any queries that cannot be handled by the team at Grassroots. Contact details for Sarah can be found on the BPA website.

Brian Kelly BPA Chairman said, “I am very pleased that Sarah has agreed to take on this new role. She already has vast experience of our pedigree recording system and pedigree breeding in general and she will provide excellent continuity as we move forward into a new era for the Association

Sarah Howes said, “I look forward to continue working with members and providing support and guidance where needed.”

The Board of Trustees would like to take this opportunity to thank Marcus for his 26 years of Loyal service to the BPA and the Pig Industry.