PIC genetics help major Portuguese pork producer

PIC PORTUGAL
PIC genetics help
major Portuguese pork
producer & processor
win national award
“This victory is not Raporal’s but also of all the partners who are involved in this project,”
said Raporal Production Director Pedro Lagoa. “Important amongst these is PIC.”
Ian Bond, Key Account Director PIC Europe, reports on the role PIC has played for Raporal
Ian Bond
Key Account Director, PIC Europe
A
major PIC customer, Raporal
SA, was recently awarded
the prestigious “Portugal
Winner 2010” in recognition
of a successful project aimed at
producing better quality pork. The
award, sponsored by Intervet
Schering-Plough, the Universidade
Católica and the national newspaper
Jornal O Público, rewards innovations
in the area of animal production and
health.
Raporal is currently one of the three
largest pork producers in Portugal,
with over 10,000 PIC sows all
produced from PIC breeding stock.
Over the last few years, this dynamic
Portuguese company has changed its
approach to meat production, placing
a far greater focus on the flavour of
the finished product. In the course of
this project, PIC focused on changing
the genetic line in addition to
supporting changes in the feed
formulation and the environment
where the animals are reared. The
resulting meat, which is tastier and
24
“In this new
product we have
intramuscular fat,
those veins in the
middle of the meat,
which avoids the
need to add oil or
other fats”
more tender, is being sold under the
brand name Pingo Doce.
Raporal has been a customer of PIC
Portugal since 1990 and the close
collaboration of the two companies
was a fundamental factor in the
success of this project. When Raporal
started the discussions with Grupo
Jerónimo Martins (JM), Portugal’s
largest fresh meat retailer and owner
of the Pingo Doce brand, PIC
expertise was a crucial factor in
developing a meat quality line
specifically aimed at the high-end
Portuguese market.
PIC’s scientists were instrumental in
working with Raporal and Pingo Doce
to define the requirements of such a
product and the PIC technical services
team were involved from the outset,
providing expert knowledge in the
areas of genetics, nutrition and meat
science.
The boar used to produce the tastier
pork is the PIC L16; a high meat quality
Duroc line. Raporal has agreed that all
pigs in the project must be sired by this
PIC boar. In return, PIC has developed
a Raporal index, which is used to select
sires from within PIC’s population that
are best suited for the specific needs of
the Pingo Doce project.
GENUS Winter 2011/12
PIC PORTUGAL
“This victory is not
Raporal’s but also
of all the partners who
are involved
in this project”
PIC has had a presence in Portugal since the mid 1980s. Based in Lisbon, PIC Portugal works with many of the major producers in the country.
Fat gives flavour
“In general, consumers prefer lean
meat, but this is not ideal,” explains
Raporal director Nuno Ramalho. “In
this new product we have
intramuscular fat, those veins in the
middle of the meat, which avoids the
need to add oil or other fats.”
In addition to the clearly defined
genetic make-up of the pigs used, the
facilities where the animals are raised
have been improved and more
vegetable fat included in their
rations to produce a more natural
flavour. The pigs are also slaughtered
later than normal to encourage the
deposition of intramuscular fat.
Raporal was in a good position to
carry out this innovative project, as
its business covers the entire
GENUS Winter 2011/12
“In five years,
100 million kg of meat
is contracted, which
means that every
Portuguese person will
eat, on average, 10 kg
of pork a year by 2016”
production process from the feed mill
through production and slaughter to
the final meat product.
At present, the production volume
of Raporal is still 45% of what was
agreed in the contract, but in October,
when it reaches full capacity, the
company will produce between 350
and 400 tons of meat per week,
amounting to 18 to 19 million kg per
year. “In five years, 100 million kg of
meat is contracted, which means that
every Portuguese person will eat, on
average, 10 kg of pork a year by
2016,” claims Mário Guarda, one of
the directors of Raporal. In order to
ensure the production quota
demanded by Grupo JM, Raporal has
agreed contracts with nine other
smaller producers.
25