'The pleasure of doing business is back'

Pig farmers have different business situations. In this summer series, a number of them explain how they view the elaboration of current legislation and regulations, and how they intend to deal with this in their business operations in the coming years. This time the floor is given to organic pig farmer André Boerrigter (58) from Kerkenveld.

How has your company developed in recent years?
"We recently decided to switch from a conventional fattening pig farm with 1.200 finishing pig places to an organic and closed pig farm with 80 breeding sows and 760 finishing pigs. This decision was taken after the ammonia requirements in the 'Low Emission Housing Decree' were announced. They forced us to buying an air scrubber. It was the choice between stopping or investing heavily in a company with a low profitability."

"Organic food is on the rise and in terms of pricing it offers better prospects for making investments. I started to delve into the organic pig sector and was impressed by the passion of organic farmers, the more natural way of working, but also the pricing. So I decided to take the plunge. In October, the first fattening pigs will be delivered to my processor."

How did you arrange sales?
"Through my regular intermediary (Handelshuis Schuttert) I came into contact with Meat Friends, a slaughterhouse with branches in Best, Roosendaal and Beilen. Fixed price agreements were made for a period of 5 years. Also because my financier, the Triodos Bank, This way I smooth out the peaks and troughs in the market price and it is less yo-yo in pricing. The organic finishers are delivered at a live weight of between 117 and 120 kilos. I receive a price that is guaranteed to be more than € 5 per kilo is higher than the market price for conventional pork. This agreement gives me and the bank a bit of security."

How have you experienced the entire switchover process so far?
"Like a revelation. The pleasure in doing business is completely back. You are literally closer to your animals, which you keep in a more natural way, making them stronger and more resilient. The most beautiful thing I think is the enthusiasm of my family, my wife Frieda and the 4 children. When I was still a regular farmer, there was little involvement. Now all 6 of them regularly join in and are fully active in the company. Now we all notice that it is a shame that we did not take this step sooner made."

Have you had to make many adjustments to the company?
"We have built a new farrowing and rearing barn with 42 pens. The old machine shed has been converted into space for gestational sows. And the existing fattening pig pen has been radically converted into straw pens with feeding areas and basements with outdoor areas. Each of the 10 sections with outdoor area offers room for 76 fattening pigs, bringing the total number of pig places to 760. Also in the farrowing pen, each sow has an outdoor area."

How do you expect and hope that your company will be in 5 years' time?
"Then I hope to earn a good income from this company and that I can rightly say that I made the right choice. And in 15 years I hope to have finished paying off at the bank. Then I will be 73 years old. I don't know whether a successor will have emerged by then, but what I do know for sure is that with this step I now have a good marketable company again."

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