MSD Animal Health has welcomed a former farm manager to its pig team.

Co. Offally native Aiden Byrne, who was previously a farm manager with Rosderra for 10 years, has joined the MSD Animal Health pig team.

Byrne, who is based near Birr, will cover the region south of Galway and Dublin.

MSD Animal Health believes that Byrne will bring a wealth of practical experience to his new role.

Byrne said: “I can’t wait to get out and about with customers and on farm, supporting the product range and their intradermal IDAL device in particular.”

Pig industry

Byrne, along with Laura Boyd, represented MSD Animal Health at the Balmoral Show earlier in the month, where the company was the pig class sponsors.

He said that it had been “great to head up north and experience the Balmoral Show. It’s a great event and there are some fantastic pigs on show”.

Trevor Shields, who won the Large White class and owner of the Inter-breed Pig Champion agreed with Byrne that the standard of pigs at the Balmoral Show had been very high in 2023.

“The pig sector has had a very hard couple of years and we’re hoping we’re about to turn a corner with increased pig prices and a reduction in feeding costs,” Shields added. 

According to MSD Animal Health the pig industry demands innovative approaches to emerging diseases.

The company said that it strives to offer products and services that make a difference for improved farm performance and profitability.

Balmoral

One of the biggest agri-food events on the island and this year’s Balmoral Show attracted an estimated 120,000 visitors regardless of whether the sun was shining or not.

Agriland caught up with visitors to the 2023 Balmoral Show – some visiting from only 10 minutes up the road, others from as far afield as Co. Cork while some made the journey down from the highlands in Scotland and the vast valleys of Wales.