"Our visit is all part of the technical support programme provided by JSR following the delivery of 50,000 sows, gilts and boars to our site in Belgorod" comments Yury Shevchenko, First Deputy to the General Director. "Having set up our own nucleus herd, coming here to meet the JSR team and see their own facilities and practices at first hand has provided us with a further opportunity to access JSR's specialist knowledge."

Svetlana Karabutova - Asst Sow Unit Mgr Vladimir Rogiz - Boar Stud Chief Operator Olesya Kolida - Stock Person Steve Cook - JSR AI Production Mgr Annette Cook - JSR Internal Sales Coordinator Natalia Zarubina - Translator and Asst to the General Director Yury Shevchenko - First Deputy to the General Director Bev Gibson - JSR Visit Organiser Peter Shelton - JSR Business Development Specialist

This technical visit is an integral part of JSR's largest Russian contract, in which they were chosen for their capability to restock an entire region of Russia. The strategy, instigated by President Vladimir Putin, is to create a more efficient pig industry, primarily by urging the region's breeders and producers to dramatically improve feed conversion efficiency from averages of around 4.8 towards the 2.5 achieved by JSR stock.

The availability of on-going support was a large factor in the decision process, and was seen as crucial in successfully capitalizing on the quality and continual improvement offered by JSR's genetics. Belgorod's Vladimir Zotov confirms, "Knowing how to manage the pigs to maximize performance is just as important as the genetic quality of the pigs themselves. JSR recognizes that the on-going support we have from them helps us to iron out any management problems we may have and stay on track."

The five-year support package included in the Belgorod contract has been tailored to match the requirements of this huge operation and covers training and advice on production, veterinary issues and AI techniques.

The Russian delegation visiting JSR, made up of both senior managers and operators, has had a busy schedule of demonstrations and presentations, together with practical hands on experience of getting the best results from a high performance Boar Stud. It's vital expertise that they will put to use on the brand-new farm that now houses the 50,000 animals supplied by JSR. Built to an extremely high standard, it will capitalize on the superior quality of these high genetic merit pigs that are capable of high feed conversion efficiency and fast growth rates. The unit was also designed to accommodate Russia's large fluctuations in temperature and the high levels of biosecurity required for successfully managing a nucleus herd.