Pierce Furlong was elected the new Chief Executive at the  Association of Meat Inspectors 1999 AGM in Edinburgh. Pierce has a meat industry background, having managed for large retail butchery chains prior to opening his own business which he ran for 12 years.

Having decided in 1982 to seek a change of career, attended Manchester Polytechnic qualifying in meat inspection in 1983, obtaining also graduate membership of the Institute of Meat and a polytechnic diploma in Meat Hygiene.

Joining Sedgemoor District Council in 1983 as an AMI his experience in the food industry was utilised by changing his role to that of a technical officer in food.

Various rolls followed including the councils animal welfare officer and as the department specialist in investigations into the unfit meat trade. Notable successes in investigations included the seizure of 30,000lbs of unstained knacker meat on its way to London, 46 hind quarters of beef which had a Northern Ireland stamp but the plant had not dispatched any meat to the U.K for 6 month's! and this with several other seizures of unfit meat.

In 1989 Pierce started a 2 day-a-week course at Salford University, 4 years and 100,000 miles later he obtained a Bachelor of Science degree in Environmental Health.

January 1994 saw his appointment as an EHO, and with full food back ground Pierce was put in charge of the Houses in Multiple Occupation team! In 1996 he was  appointed as Principal EHO (Strategy and Resources), early in 1997 he was appointed as Chief EHO, the position he held until retirement.