The genes of top boars from Hypor’s nucleus and satellite nucleus farms are distributed via Central AI Stations. This guarantees optimal genetic connection of the satellite nucleus farms within the global breeding programme. It also accelerates the gene flow within the network, as the best genes are spread in the fastest way throughout Hypor’s entire global breeding population. This is just one of the major benefits of Hypor's breeding structure.

Marcel Huijsmans, Director of Marketing & Communications at Hypor

Delivering the Best Genes the Fastest

Hypor is a global breeding company with nucleus farms strategically-located across the world. To strengthen its breeding programme, Hypor’s farm network includes interconnected, satellite, customer-operated nucleus farms on different continents. Through centrally-located AI stations, Hypor delivers the best genes to this global network of breeding and distribution partners in the fastest way possible. This minimises any lag between genetic and commercial performance and maximizes customer satisfaction.

This article highlights the important role of Central AI Stations in Hypor’s global breeding programme.

Hypor’s broad-based breeding structure brings huge advantages for its customers. Many of Hypor’s competitors maintain a large breeding base in one single country.

This creates certain limitations that do not affect Hypor. Hypor’s breeding programme is truly global and incorporates an extensive worldwide network of satellite farms.

Breeding animals in different countries, under different market circumstances, with different payment grids are tested daily. The breeding stock is born and raised under different production methods and faces varying health challenges. All global differences in performance are measured. The data flows back to one central database and is analysed and processed towards estimating breeding value.

“Our breeding goals are not defined or influenced by any single specific local market,” explained Gerjan van Alst, Director of Operations at Hypor. “We believe that breeding from isolated locations does not deliver the best breeding stock for our customers. Our interconnected, global breeding program is better balanced and more robust. Commercial performance defines the quality of our animals.”

Two-Way Gene Exchange

The strength of Hypor’s breeding structure lies in the connection of Hypor’s strategic nucleus farms to satellite farms that are managed by different partners worldwide.

Hypor exchanges genes within this farm network. The genes of top boars from Hypor’s nucleus farms are distributed via Central AI Stations. This guarantees optimal genetic connection of the satellite nucleus farms within the global breeding programme. It also accelerates the gene flow within the network, as the best genes are spread in the fastest way throughout Hypor’s entire global breeding population.

Genetic progress is further maximised by the exchange of top quality boars from satellite farms back to Hypor’s Central AI Stations, for the benefit of all breeding farms. These boars have the highest breeding values and meet various local market specifications. With many satellite farms in many different countries, this two-way gene exchange enhances and enlarges the effective breeding population tremendously, facilitating better selection and creating a more balanced breeding program. Breeding together with customers’ stock strengthens Hypor’s genetic portfolio for the benefit of all customers.

Genetic Connections

Hypor ensures that a minimum of 70 per cent of all mating on its nucleus farms utilise semen from its Central AI Stations in France and Canada.

Mr van Aalst explained: “Both Central AI Stations in Canada and France are located within close proximity to our strategic nucleus farms, which makes the 200 per cent replacement of all boars logistically easier. In addition, both countries have extensive experience in semen export, allowing us to effectively deliver the best genes to almost every major pork-producing country in the world from only two stations.”

Exchange of semen of top quality boars has a major impact on genetic progress in pigs, as using top bulls does in cattle breeding. However, unlike cattle breeding, fresh semen is generally required to achieve the best results in pig breeding. While technological advances have improved the fertility of frozen pig semen, fresh semen still yields significantly better results. Therefore, Hypor generally opts for the use of fresh semen and uses frozen semen only cautiously, as its reduced fertility dilutes the true prolificacy of its sows.