The right combination of a brilliant concept and a robust pig

Working with pigs, seeing piglets in the farrowing pens and all the different tasks involved in pig farming make it enjoyable to be a pig farmer. There is always something going on at a farm. Our aim as a family and within our Porc D’Or concept is to be among the very best farmers in the Netherlands. And this is also the case for our climate and environmental goals. We are competitive by nature and compare results.

“The Porc D’Or concept stands for regional pork from the farmer who knows his pigs. Pigs that are not afraid of people and experience a minimum of stress. The brand exists thanks to passionate local entrepreneurs who set great store by sustainable business practices and who want to invest in their own region.”

It all began when my father adopted the concept and made it into Porc D’Or: a regional product, locally traceable and transported over short distances. Sustainable business practices are very important to those involved, including sensible energy use. We compare the energy use of all the different companies and try to act according to our findings, so that we can show that we use less energy than the average farmer within the concept. In Porc D’Or, all the pigs grow up in stable groups with northern pig farmers. Deliveries are only made to artisans who know how to treat a piece of meat so that it retains all its flavor. These are the features that ensure you will want to buy Porc D’Or.

Within this concept, we try to develop things that we can apply to various companies. We are trying to gain an advantage in the area of health and also to consider the quality of the meat. We are also studying how we can reduce our footprint and the steps in the food supply chain.
New companies that wish to join Porc D’Or have to be able to demonstrate, for example, that their energy consumption is in line with legal standards and also show their methods of production.

In order to produce a tasty piece of meat, we naturally need pigs that meet certain requirements.
“At my company, I’ve opted for the Hypor Maxter. Other companies within Porc D’Or have also chosen the Hypor Maxter, but not all of them. This pig grows very well and the piglets in the farrowing pens are also strong. Losses are very limited. The Hypor Maxter is a very tasty pig,” says Edwin Elshof.

The Hypor Maxter grows well and there is good conformity. However, the robust nature of the Hypor Maxter is its strongest feature. Given that piglet mortality is a major problem in pig farming, a robust and healthy boar that grows and fattens well as a finisher and is less susceptible to disease is very important.