Hugh Crabtree

Hugh is well known and respected in the UK pig industry and has more than 40 years of commercial experience in supplying technology to farmers. He joined the Pork Council in May 2022.

Having gained a first-class honours degree at Reading University, Hugh continued with postgraduate research into thermal performance in pig buildings. He was a founder member of Farmex Ltd. in 1980, and the company has gone on to become the market leader in ventilation systems for pig production in the UK. Three-time winner of the New Equipment Award at the British Pig & Poultry Fair, Farmex is now at the forefront of real-time production monitoring in the UK and the USA.

Hugh has led three UK Research and Innovation (UKRI)-funded collaborative R&D projects and is active in the field of precision livestock farming and the application of information and communication technology (ICT) in agriculture. He is now the sole owner of Farmex Ltd. and a co-owner/director of Dicam Technology Ltd.

Additionally, Hugh is a Fellow of the Institution of Agricultural Engineers and was recently awarded a Lifetime Fellowship of the National Pig Association (NPA).

Find out more about Hugh, his thoughts on some of the challenges facing the sector and why he wanted to join AHDB’s Pork Council.