January 2, 2009

ACMC seeks multipliers to boost gilt production

International pig breeding company, ACMC, is looking for British-based multipliers to boost production as the demand for high-health replacement gilts increases both domestically and abroad.

ACMC senior marketing manager, James Hall said multiplying offers a means of insulating a herd from the fluctuations of the market by adding substantial value to stock produced.

Hall said that to satisfy large orders, they are looking for pig farmers who can set up herds of between 300 and 800 sows in areas of low pig density with units that must allow good bio-security as part of the overall layout to maintain health status.

There is a premium of around GBP20 (US$ 29.33) on selected gilts and multipliers normally expect to select and sell six per sow annually, giving an extra GBP12,000 (US$ 17,602) of yearly income per 100 sows above the normal slaughter pig returns.

Normal sale weight of gilts is 95 kilogrammes, which allows the farmer to market any non-selected gilts on a normal finished-pig contract.

Hall pointed out that unlike some grandparents, the Meidam is highly productive and is able to withstand robust production systems, and as productive as the AC1 parent gilt, it will easily wean over 11 pigs per litter, allowing production parity with commercial units.