Norfolk pig farmer praised for 'exemplary' national leadership at a time of crisis |
Rob Mutimer is stepping down after five years as chairman of the National Pig Association (NPA).
His tenure coincided with crises including Post-Brexit labour shortages in meat processing plants, complicated by the Covid pandemic, which created huge backlogs of pigs on UK farms and led to thousands of animals being culled on farms in 2021 and 2022.
He also fought for his industry during 10 successive quarters of financial losses between 2021 and 2023, driven by falling pig prices and record high costs - particularly as fuel and animal feed values soared after the war in Ukraine drove up grain prices.
NPA chief executive Lizzie Wilson said Mr Mutimer had served with "distinction and a welcome calm" during some of the hardest years the pig sector will ever face.
She said: “No sooner had Rob taken on the role than the industry was plunged into crisis. His leadership during that time was exemplary, fronting up in the media engagement and providing stable support for the team."
Mr Mutimer, who runs an outdoor pig unit and wholesale butchery business at Swannington Farm to Fork in north Norfolk with his wife Helen, said: “It has been an honour and a privilege to serve as the NPA’s chair for the past five years. At times it has been incredibly difficult but I have enjoyed the challenge.
"When you do something like this, you actually learn more about yourself and the industry during challenging times. Looking back, I learned a huge amount very, very quickly.
"I'm pleased that the majority of people got through it. There were a lot of people that went out of pigs during that time, which is very sad, but since then we've had three years of pretty good production and pretty good pig markets.
"I have great affection for my time leading the NPA, but I also know that we've all got a shelf life, and it is definitely the right time to retire. But I look back with great fondness on the people I have worked with and the connections I have made."
Norfolk farmer Rob Mutimer, of Swannington Farm to Fork, is stepping down after five years as chairman of the National Pig Association (Image: Newsquest)
Mr Mutimer said the biggest concern currently facing East Anglia's pig industry is African swine fever, following a major outbreak in Spain, which has led to a "severe drop in prices on the European market" and would be a major threat to UK pig herds if the disease reached our shores.
But he is confident his successor is up to the challenge.
Former Bury St Edmunds MP Jo Churchill took over as NPA chairman this week after an appointment marking a change of direction for the organisation, which has previously appointed pig producers to the role.
"I think it is the right choice," said Mr Mutimer. "I think it's a brave choice as well.
"We are a political lobbying organisation, so Jo is very well suited to that - she has much better contacts than I have, and we need to keep lobbying the government to make sure the legislations they're planning aren't going to be detrimental.
"Politicians do take some responsibility for the border controls so we're not getting illegal meat in, which is the only way to only way stop African swine fever coming into the country."
Mrs Churchill, who held various ministerial roles during her nine years as an MP, said: "It is a real honour to take on this role as chair of one of farming’s most prominent membership bodies.
“During my time as an MP and coming from one of the country’s key pig farming areas, I was well aware of the NPA and the high esteem it is held in and the great work it does representing the industry.
“I am also acutely conscious of the challenges facing the pig sector on multiple fronts, as it continues to rebuild and move forward.
“So, I look forward to getting stuck in, meeting people from across the industry and using my skills and experience to help deliver positive change for this iconic sector.”
Former Bury St Edmunds MP Jo Churchill is the new chairman of the National Pig Association (Image: Andy Abbott)