Loucas Andreou, Managing Director of LA Top Genetics, together with Petros Kailas and Michalis Bibos were accompanied on their visit by Paul Anderson, JSR’s European Sales Director.

Photograph showing from left to right Petros Kailas, Paul Anderson, Loucas Andreou and Michalis Bibos

As a distributor for JSR, LA Top Genetics, based in Nicosia, already supplies the island’s burgeoning 50,000 strong sow market with JSR Titan terminal sireline and Damline GP semen and has been so successful that a new EU Approved boar stud is in the final stages of construction, with boar numbers set to double to 90.

Expansion of the nucleus multiplication herd to over 800 sows will now enable LA Top Genetics to offer Cyprian pig producers more choice. Paul Anderson comments: “We are delighted to be supplying LA Top Genetics with a further consignment of JSR breeding stock. The Cypriot market is as demanding as any and like any other wants to continually improve on flavour, succulence and choice. To build on their success, LA Top Genetics will now be offering a choice of two new lines. Mr Andreou and his colleagues wanted to see the different JSR lines in the flesh before making their final choice”.

Mr Andreou continues, “We’ve been working closely with JSR over the last two years. Not only have they supplied superior genetics but also a tailor-made package of on-going support and consultancy. Now, once again they are doing everything they can to help us to select the ideal great grandparent breeding stock. Managing our own nucleus and multiplication herd is the ideal way of ensuring that the resulting pigs will suit both the Cyprian climate and market”.

Visiting the JSR Newbottle Sireline Nucleus farm the visitors were able to view JSR Duroc and the all new JSR Geneconverter 700 Nucleus stock. The FCR and efficiency figures for the GC700 were of particular interest to the group who, like many global pig businesses were looking to use the new lines to improve their profitability against a backdrop of higher feed costs.

At JSR Baveney, Damline Nucleus Farm Large white and Landrace grandparent and great grandparent stock, were on view. To round off the visit Mr Andreou and his colleagues visited Skimble Crown, a 440 sow commercial farm, where Genepacker 90 sows mated to Titan boars using farm collected semen, had produced large, vigorous litters. Feed conversion ratios of 2.19 from weaning to over 100kgs and a uniformity of conformation giving the high yield in the loin and the hams also met with great approval.

Satisfied that his visit provided the answers he needed Mr Andreou signed an order for 80 great grandparent gilts to produce the Genepacker 90 gilt, and 45 Geneconverter 700 and Titan terminal sires, believing these lines will provide a further advancement for the Cypriot pig sector.