A passion for animals is of great importance in pig farming – something that is familiar to Edwin Elshof. A passion for animals, in particular pigs, is what inspired him to become a pig farmer and to carry on with the family firm.
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.
“Our motto is: ‘We grow together’. Everyone has their own strengths and provides their own input. There are a lot of things you have to know about and each individual does a small part of the whole. This makes us strong as a team and means that we have more time left for the company and our pigs,” says Edwin Elshof, owner of the Elshof pig farm.
Porc D’Or
“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.
Robust pigs
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 robust nature of the Hypor Maxter is extremely important, especially in the farrowing pens. They are very good eaters and this makes them less susceptible to diseases. These pigs are also very resilient.
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.
Hypor is one of the world’s leading suppliers of pig genetics. Committed to providing superior genetics that supports profitability in the pork value chain. With its Head Office located in Boxmeer, The Netherlands, Hypor has strategically-located and interconnected breeding centers in North America, Europe and Asia. More information is available at www.hypor.com
Hypor is part of Hendrix Genetics, a leading multi-species breeding company with primary activities in layer-, turkey-, swine-, aquaculture -and traditional poultry breeding. Headquartered in Boxmeer, in The Netherlands, Hendrix Genetics provides expertise and resources to producers in more than 100 countries, with operations and joint ventures in more than 35 countries and more than 2.900 employees worldwide. More information is available at www.hendrix-genetics.com
