September 6, 2017
Hypor increases genetic progress with new testing station in France
Hypor is investing in a new facility in Sichamps, France, which will feature 72 Nedap Pig Performance testing (PPT) stations to track the daily growth and feed intake of Hypor Maxter and Magnus boars.
The state-of-the-art facility will begin operations in October 2017.
"The new facility and additional feeding stations will increase the number of pigs we test with feeding stations by 3,000 pigs annually and increase the total number that we test by around 6,400 head," said
Hypor's France general manager of swine, Julien Briant. Each station will have the capacity to measure the daily feed intake and weight gain of 14 pigs.
"With this technology, we can make very accurate improvements in weight gain and feed intake," Briant added. "This will helps us to improve the Residual Feed Intake (RFI) trait, a key point on economic efficiency."
Feed accounts for 60-70% of the total cost of production globally.
The feeding stations will bolster support of the Hypor Maxter and Magnus programme, which has improved significantly in leanness and meat percentage over the past years.
"This investment will provide pork producers with a product that is capable of optimising profitability," Briant explained.
Specifically, the feeding stations will increase genetic improvement by providing better accuracy and a higher selection intensity. Genetic progress that can be achieved is influenced by a limited number of parameters including accuracy of selection; intensity of selection; genetic variation; and generation interval.
The number of animals that are tested within the breeding programme contribute to accuracy of selection and intensity of selection.
In the aspect of accuracy, the feeding stations house animals in a standardised environment so that geneticists can observe the true genetic potential, such as feed intake of animals when they are housed in a group setting, Hypor said.
For selection intensity, more feeding stations will increase the number of pigs that can be tested and ultimately results in a tighter selection of animals that are used for the next generation.
Lastly, for variation, Hypor geneticists are able to make a better judgment of the genetic difference that exists between animals by testing them in a standardised environment. If all the animals are tested under same conditions, more of the variation can be attributed to genetic differences between animals.
"With this investment, we will now be able to test most of the boars that come through the facility before they are sold to AI studs," said Hypor's director of research and development, Abe Huisman. "This gives us more genetic precision and will greatly benefit our customers."
Hypor currently utilises feeding stations to measure the individual feed intake and growth of more than 15,000 purebred boars each year.
"At the end of the day, this investment is just part of our job," Briant said. "We are investing for our customers to ensure that we are supplying them with the best possible animal for today - and for the future."
