Who are the Gold-medal-winning pig breeders ?

Grower-finisher breeders represented 62% of candidates. 46% of the nominated pig farms were in Brittany, and 13% in the Loire Region.An average pig barn employs 1.8 workers. Grower-finishers breeders accounted for an average 92.5 sows per manpower unit.Pig barns were most commonly installed in farms with an average surface area of 65 ha. Two out of three farms produce cereals. 92% of breeders are registered in a VPF (French pork producer) initiative, and 89% had implemented another ‘quality’-related initiative.Almost 40% of the farrowing houses surveyed had been refurbished. A 3-weekly all-in all-out system proved commonest. In pig farms operating in a 4 to 5 batch system, 90% wean at 21 days old. The majority of breeders surveyed purchased their sires, and almost all practiced artificial insemination. 82% homogenized litter weight and size via intra-batch adoption. In 85% of pig farms, technical support came from a group technician. These are breeders that rank among the best in France.