HKScan, Topigs Norsvin and Royal Agrifirm Group have signed an agreement to jointly set up a research and trial farm in Finland. Trial activities will take place on the Yli-Simola pig farm in Porlammi, where a barn meeting the latest animal welfare requirements will be completed in the coming months.

HKScan aims to actively develop pig production. In the trial partnership, HKScan, Topigs Norsvin and Royal Agrifirm will join forces and share their latest knowledge on pork production. The practices will be tested at Antti and Anne Varjola's Yli-Simola farm. The aim of this long-term cooperation is to develop best practices in pork production for future needs. The trial activities will focus on improving welfare of pigs, reducing environmental impact, increasing profitability and optimizing carcass quality.

"It is great to have top companies in the industry as partners in the development of production. I really appreciate Anne and Antti Varjola's contribution to this project. For a long time, we were looking for producers with strong know-how, willingness to experiment and to commit to the extra work required for the trial activities. In addition, the unit had to be big enough to provide sufficient data, and it should be possible to follow the piglets all the way to slaughter. The investment of Anne and Antti Varjola met all our expectations," says Olli Paakkala, pig sourcing and development manager at HKScan.

The trial activities in the new unit will be launched once the unit's production is at normal levels after start-up. 

Source: Topigs Norsvin, which is solely responsible for the information provided, and wholly owns the information. Informa Business Media and all its subsidiaries are not responsible for any of the content contained in this information asset.