ACMC is supplying 525 breeding animals to a pig production, processing and retailing company, the ShiJiaZuang Shuang Ge Food Co Ltd from Shijiazhuang City in HeBei Province, which is using them to establish a brand new nucleus unit on a green-field site.

ACMC chairman, Stephen Curtis, shakes hands with Madam Gao Qiuju, head of the Shuang Ge Food Co Ltd, at a ceremony in China arranged to mark the pig-breeding deal.

As well as providing pigs for its own use, the company will also be supplying improved breeding animals to other pig farmers within the Province, under a 15-year franchise arrangement. Once established, the stock will be able to produce over one million slaughter pigs annually - normally finished at around 110 kg liveweight - to help feed the Province's human population of 64 million.

Delivery of the animals - which includes Meidam and Volante damlines and Vantage FC sirelines - is scheduled to start this October. ACMC will be providing technical support for the nucleus herd's genetic and general management programme in addition to a regular supply of up-to-date genes in the form of semen.

Stephen Curtis, chairman of ACMC

Ironically, the ACMC Meidam is an improved version of the super-prolific, but fat, Meishan breed which was imported from China over 20 years ago to boost output from native European breeds. By selective breeding ACMC were able to combine this valuable trait with a high rate of lean tissue growth and efficient feed conversion and this was a big attraction to the Chinese buyers.

The ShiJiaZuang Shuang Ge Food Co Ltd, which was state owned until early 2006, is now privately owned by its 800 employees and ACMC will have an equity share. It is also opening a new slaughterhouse capable of processing 1,000 pigs a day.

"This very progressive company already farms 2,000 sows and it is looking to help meet China's demand for pork which is increasing rapidly as its GDP grows," commented ACMC's chairman Stephen Curtis, who personally negotiated the deal.