Pig Improvement Company Archive

TR DX2321

Jun 1935; Dec 1955-Aug 2015

Dr. Maurice Bichard was an Honorary Principal Research Fellow, Department of Agriculture at the University of Reading, UK. He was initially appointed as a consultant for the Pig Improvement Company (PIC) in 1966, and subsequently as Director of Research and Development in 1974. Dr. Bichard later became Technical Director until his retirement in 1995. Dr. Bichard wrote expensively on pig breeding and his work with PIC around the world. He appeared at numerous conference and events on the same subject. Dr. Maurice Bichard is also a basket collector. He has written a book titled ‘Baskets in Europe’, and presented a ‘History of baskets and basket making; course at the Museum of English Rural Life in 2011.

The collection includes papers by or relating to Dr. Maurice Bichard and his work at Pig Improvement Company. Dr. Bichard was initially appointed as a consultant for the Pig Improvement Company (PIC) in 1966, and subsequently as Director of Research and Development in 1974. Dr. Bichard later become Technical Director until his retirement in 1995. Company related papers include the first Pig Improvement Company (PIC) commercial account book, administrative records such as one wage book and other records relating to employees, including social events and societies. The collection includes records regarding international branches of PIC and other scouting work done abroad, records relating to PIC’s intellectual property, import and export, and different standards to which PIC worked to, including those of the European Community. Includes legal records such as those relating to acquisitions, partnerships, shareholdings, and purchases done by PIC, as well as a property record for the original purchase of Nucleus Farm at Fyfield Wick, Abingdon, England. Some of these records are contextualised by notes or emails from Dr. Bichard. The collection also includes records relating to the technical work carried out by PIC, as well as papers and dissertations on pig breeding, house journals and bulletins, press cuttings, project files, and company histories. A note from depositor, signed M. Bichard, August 2019, states that disease control is 'greatly under-represented in these files', and explains that this is because all files came from the company's Chief Geneticist, and the disease/health files were not available. He adds that 'disease control was equally, or more important in PIC's success than genetics'.

16 boxes

English

Pig Improvement Company (PIC), Maurice Bichard

Breeding, Pig, Distribution

A number of published books came in with the Pig Improvement Company's archive collection. These have now been accessioned and catalgoued as part of the Museum of English Rural Life library.