The gilts flew to Tokyo via Schiphol. After a state quarantine period the gilts will go to their final destination, a group of cooperating pig farmers. This group of independent pig farms produce about one-third of Japanese pigs.

In June a second consignment with purebred line animals and terminal boars will be sent from the SPF nucleus breeding farm of TOPIGS in Canada.

The Japanese group of pig farmers includes the most progressive farms in the country. To hold their own against the international competition, within their own country they have to compete with a large number of exporters to Japan, they sought improved genetics. The group therefore visited various large breeding organisations throughout the world and eventually TOPIGS emerged as the best choice. TOPIGS was selected due to its professional organisation, high production and the high meat and carcass quality of the fatteners.

Henk Janssen, area manager at TOPIGS for Asia visited the pig farms and slaughterhouses in the Netherlands with several Japanese delegates: “They were clearly impressed by the high quality of pig farming in the Netherlands. Not only the breeding but also the pig farming and the entire structure strongly appealed to them.“ They considered the Dutch pig farming to be of a very high level.“ The health status of pig farms in the Netherlands also struck them. This was, just like in Canada, also of a high level. A high health status makes it possible to export from the Netherlands to Japan where the veterinary requirements are very strict.