UK company to set up pork processing plant in Punjab

A visiting delegation of UK based Cranswick Foods company, accompanied by British Deputy High Commissioner David Lelliott, met Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal here today for setting up a modern pork processing plant in the state.
Interacting with the delegation, Badal assured them that the state government would extend all possible support and cooperation to implement the project, which would act as a catalyst to hasten the process of value addition in Animal Husbandry sector on one hand and give boost to the farm diversification on the other.
The Chief Minister also requested Lelliott to help the state Animal Husbandry department in capacity building.

Discussions were held on how consumption of pork was gradually picking up, especially amongst the middle class, and how the setting up of a pork processing plant could help the pig farmers, besides providing high quality pork to the consumers across the state.
Lauding the state government's initiatives for development of piggery, Chief Operating Officer of Cranswick Chris Aldersley promised to provide all technical support and expertise to progressive pig farmers to further consolidate their economic position.
Aldersley said Cranswick would provide live pigs and frozen semen to the animal husbandry department for high quality breeding at government pig farms, which in turn would supply the best quality piglets to the local pig farmers.

He also apprised Badal that the British pig industry was highly competitive and produces outstanding breeding stock.

The delegation also visited the modern pig breeding farm, Nabha (Patiala district) besides two private pig farms at village Kisanpura near Kurali and village Khasi in Ludhiana district and witnessed the advanced pig rearing practices followed there.
The delegation also held an interactive session with the pig farmers from the state at the Centre of Excellence on Cattle Breeding Farm at village Rauni in Patiala district.
Earlier, the delegation held detailed discussions with Additional Chief Secretary, Investment Promotion, Karan Avtar Singh and CEO of Invest Punjab Bureau, Anirudh Tiwari, on the various facets of industrial policy of the state while investing on the pork plant.

Aldersley told the Chief Minister that Cranswick has an annual turnover of over one billion pounds and it exports 56 pork products and chicken meat to Europe, South East Asia and China.
The Chief Minister also directed the Additional Chief Secretary, Advisor and Director of Animal Husbandry to visit Cranswick in UK along with a delegation of progressive pig farmers from the state to study and finalize the modalities in order to fast track the entire process of importing live animals and frozen semen so that the ambitious project could take off at the earliest.