About 200 international relations of TOPIGS met in the village of Haren in the South of the Netherlands to discuss the role of genetics in the future pig industry. With external speakers Daan Van Doorn, of Vion Food Group (the Netherlands), Plínio Barbarino, of Seara (Brasil), Zhang Sanping of Yurun Food Group (China) and futurist Anne Lise Kjaer, the audience got a good view of the developments in the pork industry in several parts of the world. The speakers from TOPIGS, Martin Bijl and Jan Merks, explained the role of genetics supplier TOPIGS in these developments.

The symposium concluded that throughout the world the pig industry is developing into integrated production systems. Creating partnerships and controlled production systems in all aspects of production is vital if the demands of the rapidly changing and more demanding consumer are to be met. Companies like TOPIGS need to provide an efficient genetic package that leads to efficient production against a low cost price. Genetic suppliers also play a role in meeting consumer demands with respect to product specifications such as taste, ease of use, sustainability, health, animal welfare et cetera.