By Juan Luis Uccelli, Swine Sector Consultant based in Argentina

A long time ago, when I started working in the pig production field in my country (Argentina), the only aim was to improve productivity in any way possible and to obtain the best price in the market for the finished pig. That was it.

Over the last 20 years, the story has changed. But change has been much more noticeable in the last 10 years, and changing or adapting allows one to stay in the market. Nowadays, pig producers not only have to take care of everything that is production-related, but they also have to produce what the consumer needs, while complying with the following premises:

• Provide the lowest possible cost: the highest number of kilos per housed sow should be produced with the least amount of feed for each produced kilo. This is a matter of efficiency.

• Improve the quality of the meat: firm meat should be obtained. It has to have the right color and the necessary amount of water retention.

• Implement animal welfare: the animals should be kept in the best conditions and should be treated in the best way possible so their entire genetic capacity can be expressed.

• Use antimicrobials responsibly: this means they should be used only in specific situations, with a prescription from a vet, and for a certain period of time. This will increase farm biosecurity.

• Take care of the environment: this can be done by getting and using resources responsibly, especially water, and the proper use of effluents, whether as fertilizers or as energy sources, in order to decrease greenhouse gas emissions.

• Be responsive to change: be able to understand the changes that the consumer desires and put them into practice on the farm.

The aim has changed, and, as pig producers, we have turned into quality pork meat producers that adapt to consumers’ demands.

This change not only involves the primary pig producers, but also the rest of the production chain: the slaughter, the packaging, the distribution, and the commercialization of the end product, in order to reach the final consumer in the best possible condition.

All the change that is happening — and that will definitely increase — has one main goal: to give the consumer a sense of security and a guarantee of what they are buying and will eat. It’s necessary to understand how consumers think in order to offer what they want. Sales are no longer achieved by pressuring the customer or by simply having low prices. There’s an entire area of marketing dedicated to consumer psychology that we need to understand, and we must be willing to make any necessary changes.

The consumption of animal protein continues to increase all over the world, and pork protein is one of the main proteins. We must keep working proactively, not reactively, by staying ahead of the problems and having solutions that can be implemented. We cannot lag behind.

Everything we produce ends up on someone’s plate, in a house, in a restaurant, or in a fast-food chain sandwich and, in every case, our product must be of excellent quality, showing the characteristics previously mentioned.

We are directly responsible for what we do, and we have the huge responsibility of feeding people, one of the essential human rights.

We are producers of meat that is healthful, tasty, and affordable.