March 18, 2004

Japan's Uehara Farm To Crossbreed Canadian Pigs

Japan's leading hog producer Uehara Farm Ltd will begin crossbreeding pigs imported from Canada in Shizunai, Hokkaido, Japan's northernmost main island, with plans to ship up to 20,000 pig heads a year as of the fiscal 2007/2008, the company said.

Uehara Farm, which currently operates eight farms in Japan, bought a 75 hectare plot of land in Shizunai particularly because the climate in Hokkaido is similar to those in European countries such as Denmark and the Netherlands, known for their flourishing animal husbandry, thus making Shizunai ideal for pig farming, president Masahiro Uehara said.

The Shizunai pigs is intended for sale in Tokyo, with first-year sales seen at 1.8 billion Japanese yen ($16.62 mln/13.57 million euro).

According to the Hokkaido Pig Farming Association, the number of pig and hog raisers within the prefecture currently stands at 420, both individuals and corporations included, which ship some 1.0 million pig heads a year for 35 billion yen ($323.17 million/263.96 million euro).

Uehara Farm was founded in 1973 and has a paid-in capital of 10 million yen ($92,340/75,419 euro). The company, employing 60, reported 2.8 billion yen ($25.85 mln/21.11 million euro) sales for the fiscal 2002/2003.