Minister launches the Pig Grading and Information System (PIGIS)

Agriculture Minister, Michelle Gildernew MP MLA, has officially launched the Pig Grading and Information System (PiGIS) at Greenmount Campus.

The Pig Grading and Information System (PiGIS) was developed jointly by the College of Agriculture, Food and Rural Enterprise (CAFRE) and the Agri-Food and Biosciences Institute (AFBI). The system will assist the NI pig industry to analyse pig carcase data to further improve carcase quality. The development of PiGIS was supported by VISION funding, as it complimented a number of the Themes for Action.

At the launch, the Minister said: “The development of PiGIS will be of significant benefit to the local pig industry. It allows clear market information to be provided by the processor as to the quality of carcase required, enabling pig producers to make the necessary management adjustments to meet market demands. The system harnesses IT with pig producers able to access information for their own pigs on-line from the farm at a time which suits them best.

The Minister added: “This world class development allows benchmarks to be established and targets set ensuring sustained improvement in the quality of pig meat from the North. I understand that this product is unique within Europe, and I pay tribute to the staff of AFBI and CAFRE who have worked hard on this project. The co-operation within the industry to assist in the development of this unique and world class system has been excellent.

“Today is an illustration of what can be achieved when there is collaboration between all links of the supply chain – working together towards a common goal. It demonstrates the potential which exists and I would encourage the industry to continue to do so thus allowing the competitiveness of the sector to be further strengthened.”