AHDB partners with Bedfordia to offer joint Pig Industry Scholarship with placement

The Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board (AHDB) and Bedfordia Farms have joined forces to offer an exciting new placement opportunity, together with a Pig Industry Scholarship valued at up to £9,000, to a student at Harper Adams University.

Students looking for a placement for 2021/22 have until 12:00pm noon on Wednesday 18th November to submit their applications.

Harper Adams University’s Head of Development Doris Taylor, said:

“We are delighted to welcome AHDB and Bedfordia as sponsors, and to be able offer this collaborative placement and learning experience, covering different elements of the pork supply chain, to our students. This partnership will enable the recipient to learn all about how a pig business functions, including practical pig work experience. No previous pig industry experience is needed, and this opportunity provides an excellent introduction to the industry.”

For the first part of the one-year paid work placement, the recipient will be based in North Bedfordshire at family-owned Bedfordia Farms. Their livestock department, has three modern indoor farms producing 32,000 pigs per annum and their production is within the top 10% of like UK herds.

For the second part of the secondment, the student will be based at the Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board (AHDB) in Stoneleigh, Warwickshire. AHDB is a statutory levy board, funded by farmers, growers and others in the supply chain and managed as an independent organisation (independent of both commercial industry and of government).

Ian Smith, Managing Director at Bedfordia Farms, said:

“Bedfordia wants to encourage top quality students to consider pig production as a potential career and what we are offering would be a fantastic opportunity to get hands on experience in a modern indoor environment. Any student joining us would learn all about the health, welfare and production of indoor pigs from a practical perspective and, combined with the role at AHDB, would acquire a well-rounded insight into the industry as a whole.”

AHDB is dedicated to delivering transformational projects to drive productivity and boost farming and supply chain businesses. AHDB aims to help the industry thrive in a rapidly changing world and continue to produce high quality food, maintain our beautiful landscape and leave a legacy for generations to come.

Emily Boyce, AHDB’s Knowledge Exchange Manager for the North, explains:

“We are committed to investing in the pork industry’s future and this is where our role in the Pig Industry Scholarship with Harper Adams University comes into play. Being able to offer students a first-hand insight into our sector and demonstrate the wide range of opportunities is really exciting. Part of our work includes developing the next generation, so being able to offer a student the chance to explore the possibilities within both our business and Bedfordia’s will be rewarding for both us and the successful student.”