Merial appoints new pig business head

Merial has appointed Nick Munce as its new UK and Ireland pig business development and technical manager.

Mr Munce moves into this new position from his former role as business manager for Merial's cattle DNA services division Igenity, while he has also previously served as senior territory manager for Merial in Northern Ireland.

He joins the porcine business at a time when the company is emphasising the importance of its vaccine products, suggesting that benefits could be gleaned from vaccinating whole herds instead of only piglets.

This could be potentially useful in preventing the spread of diseases such as swine influenza, which independent research has suggested is more prevalent in the national herd than was previously realised.

Brian Rice, head of marketing and technical services for production animals at Merial, said Mr Munce "will be working closely with vets and producers to ensure that we are providing the best possible service to support our key products which target diseases including PCV2 and swine influenza".

Earlier this year, the company announced that it has expanded its international business through the acquisition of Newport Laboratories, a US-based manufacturer of vaccines for pigs and cows.