Typology of the French pig herds with the lowest production costs

In France, there is a large disparity between the costs of pig production. In 2000, using the financial managementmethod called “Tableau de Bord" an analysis of the 20 % of herds with the lowest production costs among breedingand-fattening herds was performed. These farms are characterised by an average total production cost of 1.09 €/kgdeadweight compared to 1.26 €/kg for the national average and their average herd size was 138 sows. They are principally located in the West and the North of France. They mix feed on the farm more often than the national average and have an useful agricultural area per sow of 0.65 ha.Five profiles were identified from quantitative variables using the Kohonen method. Information obtained by a questionnaire was used to complete any details which were missing and were necessary in the characterisation of the farms.The first profile concerned average cost levels for all aspects of production in comparison with the average of 120 herds and good technical performance. The key point for the second profile was the very low cost of feeding (with low prices for feed mixed at the farm and for feed which was bought). The third profile indicated that the strong point was very low total labour costs, due to high work productivity. However, part of the labour costs were not included since some pigs are sent to other farms for the growing-finishing period. The fourth profile included farms with the lowest costs of investment depreciation and interest charges on financial debt because of the use of old buildings on the farm. The productivity of the sows was also very low. Finally, the last profile included farms which had the best technical results among the 5 profiles, produced with new equipment and buildings