At his Sachsenhof farm at Hettenrodt in the Rhineland, Bernhard Koch had run a multiplier unit producing breeding stock for the Bundeshybridzuchtprogramm (BHZP; German Hybrid Pig Breeding Programme) for about 20 years; by the start of 2001, he had a herd of around 100 sows. But then, to make more efficient use of his labour, he decided to switch to rearing BHZP weaners from Hoffmann's multiplier unit.