Large Black Pig Breeders Club
Transportation Grant
The LBPBC has been working in association with the BPA on their ‘On-Farm Conservation Programmes’. The programme is set out on the BPA website and aims to conserve the genetic diversity within our breed and the male and female lines with a target to get each line in a minimum of 5 herds around the UK. Part of their programme is to provide limited funding to achieve their aims. The committee of the LBPBC feels that, as an extension to the funding provided by the BPA, we want to have our own scheme to further these aims.
The purpose of these grants is to aid the distribution around the country of Large Black pigs to increase genetic diversity and protect rare bloodlines from geographic isolation. It will be awarded for transportation only, up to a total of £150 for any one breeder at 35p per mile. You should have been a LBPBC member for a minimum of 2 years and have submitted at least 2 birth notes during this period and completed the BPA breed survey.
Members must demonstrate to the club the reason for the grant and commit to breeding pure and further distribution of the lines within their area and beyond. Grants will be awarded to members who can demonstrate the need to redistribute a line because it is numerically low in number, geographically isolated or underrepresented within the national herd as confirmed using the BPA Kinship software.
The total amount of club funds allocated for this project will be £1200 over a 3-year period.
Applications must be in writing (emails accepted) detailing why the applicant feels there is a need for financial support and a basic form should be completed. The full committee will make a decision based on the criteria set out above. Retrospective claims will not be considered.
The club scheme was set up as a way of using club funds to further our conservation aims for the particular bloodlines that are felt warrant our attention, either by their rarity or to move them into different regions of the UK to be an insurance against elimination of lines should there be a disease outbreak. As a committee we have responsibility for and a duty to our members to ensure club funds are distributed in a responsible manner.
It was felt that, whilst we would love to help everyone, with every move, this is just not possible – nor is it good use of club funds. The stipulation that the member claiming must have demonstrated their long-term commitment to the breed and to the club has been put in place for good reason. It is to ensure that club money goes to where it is needed to breeders who hopefully have a knowledge and understanding of the breed, the challenges we face and resolve necessary to fulfil our aims. The committee has a duty to ensure that club funds are only used for the furtherment of the conservation aims and should not be given out to everyone who might want to start breeding, however good their intentions.
For the reasons above, the applicant must also be the person where the pig is moved to, not the breeder selling an animal. We cannot look at movement of pigs that are outside our plan for the year unless sudden events make us re-evaluate that plan.