New board members at BPEX

Two new members have been appointed to the board of BPEX Ltd, the pig industry strategy body.

For one, Bob Howe, it is a welcome return as he was a board member before the re-organisation of levy boards which came into effect last April.

The other is Bill Thurston, managing director, Pork Business Unit VION Food Group Ltd with overall responsibility for all fresh pork sites in the UK.

Bill has a background in pig and poultry rearing in Norfolk and he has been in the food industry for the last 26 years.

Before joining VION he was Senior Vice President Europe and Middle East with American bakery company Dawn Foods; Senior Vice President/Group Company Director CSM Bakery Supplies Europe; Managing Director of Bakemark UK & International.

Bob Howe is Managing Director of Bowes of Norfolk and prior to that spent 24 years as Business Unit Director of Geo. Adams & Sons Ltd. He has been in the meat industry for 38 years and is currently the chairman of the ZNCPig.


He has also been chairman of BMPA pig committee for a number of years and is a former BMPA council member. He has also been UK pig representative at Clitravi in Brussels.

BPEX Chief Executive Mick Sloyan said: "I am delighted to welcome them both to the board. They have extensive experience which will be of great benefit to BPEX and to the development and delivery of its plans to assist individual businesses in the English supply chain."