September 22, 2008

PIC China has signed an agreement to add more nucleus herd (great-grandparent) capacity to its nationwide network of breeding stock production.

The company will lease a new 600-sow large farm that will be built to PIC's specifications.

Construction has begun on a biosecure site and will be stocked by imports in early 2009. The herd will function mainly as a sire line nucleus, producing a range of high-performance pigs to maximise the rate for multiplication of high-quality genetics to be used by China's pork producers.

Two similar projects were commissioned this year, including a nucleus farm in Jiangxi province and the acquisition of a Sichuan-based nucleus farm. Negotiations are currently at an advanced stage to build a further nucleus facility dedicated to the development of an integrated pork chain. The facility is estimated to produce 1 million market pigs per year.