Swine genetics company PIC, a division of Genus plc, has partnered with the Besun Food Group in the operation of a 4,250-sow nucleus farm in China’s Shaanxi province.
The joint venture will produce grandparent females to drive the expansion of Besun’s integrated pork production business and enhance PIC’s capacity to supply its signature genetics to other players emerging in the consolidation of China’s pig industry, according to the companies. Once fully operational, the herd will underpin the production of 10 million slaughter pigs per year. The new nucleus farm was recently completed and stocking is scheduled over the next nine months. PIC will manage the operation of the farm and the output will be used proportionally by the joint venture partners, with Besun using its proportion in its multiplication program and PIC’s share providing important additional volume to support its growing sales of breeding animals in China.
“China is a specific target area of growth for Genus, in both pigs and dairy, and the agreement with Besun is an important milestone on the strategic road map for PIC in the world’s largest pork market," said Nancy Jiang, general manager of Genus China. "We are delighted to be working with such an inspiring partner dedicated, as we are, to the stable supply of nutritious and safe pork, at the same time making more efficient use of valuable feed resources. This is a model we fully expect to replicate elsewhere in the country.”
