Pig farming

Pig farming in north-west Europe has undergone major change in recent decades. There are three factors which often oppose each other:

 

• global purchasing by buyers
• increasing scale of the businesses
• a changing attitude among the public toward intensive pig farming.

We try to take into account all these factors by gearing the production chain and production method to these as well as possible.

Responsibility 
The wishes and requirements of consumers change often and quickly. This does not make it easy for pig farmers to make choices. The low price for pigs together with the simultaneous obligation to make investments to meet high welfare requirements means that pig farmers are faced by large dilemmas.
All this is driving the pork industry to cooperate on a large scale to produce the right product, for the right buyer at the right price.

We at VION Food Group think that each link in the chain is responsible for its own part of the chain. VION sees itself as director and monitor of the chain. Our partners in the chain are independent businesses. Close cooperation not only enables us to supply the pork that buyers and consumers want, but it is the only way to sustainable pig farming, cost-control and good returns for the whole chain.

Collaboration along the chain
Food safety and traceability are of paramount importance to us. That demands cooperation with reliable, professional partners in the chain, such as dealers and pig farmers. VION Food Netherlands has an ongoing relationship with the overwhelming majority (almost 90%) of our partners.
Almost all of them are Dutch companies who operate in accordance with the Integrated Chain Control (IKB) quality system (www.ikbvarkens.nl).
This IKB  system covers and controls the whole pig sector. Right from the pig farmer through to the requirements for vets, feed suppliers and hauliers.
In addition, the pig farmers themselves opt for one of our four quality concepts: Good Farming Global, Good Farming Retail, Good Farming Welfare and Good Farming Organic. They operate according to set protocols and supplementary quality systems. VION is responsible for testing, maintaining a central record system for test results, and provision of information in the chain.

Tracing
Each pig farm in the Netherlands has a unique farm identification number (the UBN). The number accompanies all pigs supplied to VION Food Netherlands. This number allows us to trace a pig back to the farm where it was reared.