First Pig Rentability Day in Belgium Sets Attendance Record

BELGIUM - Close to 1,000 people from the Belgian pig sector gathered for the first Pig Rentability Day on 30 August at the AI-station of Hypor in Olsene.
calendar icon 24 September 2013
clock icon 3 minute read

Six companies joined forces on 30 August to organise this day for the Belgian pig sector: Algoet, Boehringer Ingelheim, DLV, Crelan, Denkavit and Hypor. The central theme: 'How can the Belgian pig sector improve its profitability and strengthen its competititve position within Europe?'.

Kris Lauwerijsen, Managing Director of Hypor Belgium, explained: “With the organization of this day we aim to create a platform for our sector to explore a new vision, new products and new services, contributing to better cost control at producers level. The profitability in Belgium has been under heavy pressure the last years due to high feed and energy prices. Cost control is essential for survival".

Franky Deletter, chief editor of one of the country's leading magazines, moderated the symposium with six national and international speakers. All speakers, with their own expertise and background, provided the audience with practical tips to increase their profitability, either through cost control or margin improvement.

The moderator concluded after the symposium that the Belgian pig sector should benefit from the opportunities handed to them. Co-operation within the chain is an important starting point, but also the advice to measure performance, both technical and economical. Improvement of feed efficiency is possible choosing the right genetics. Belgium is less competitive on feed conversion due to the widespread use (95 per cent) of the lean but slower growing Belgian Piétrain.

Antoon van den Berg, CEO of Hendrix Genetics, emphasised this last point and called upon the sector to look beyond the Belgian borders to the European market, where the faster growing, stress-negative Piétrain dominates the market.

After the symposium, attendees e were invited to join the boar show, where Hypor demonstrated its global portfolio with the dam lines, Hypor Landrace and Hypor Large White, and sire lines, Hypor Magnus and Hypor Maxter.

The first Pig Rentability Day definitely has set a new record, attracting close to 1,000 visitors altogether. The preparations for a second edition have already started.

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