TN70 fuels global growth for Topigs Norsvin

Internationalization hasn't always been a success for Dutch cooperatives. At Topigs Norsvin, however, it can now be said that its cross-border activities are indeed paying off. In 10 years, turnover jumped by 176%, and profitability also took a significant step forward. The financial result has risen to €20 million in recent years, much higher than the average of €5 million around 2014. It may seem luxurious, but according to the company, it's necessary in a sector that requires substantial funding to stay on top of research and development. The characteristics of a TN70 sow, a cross between a Large White and a Norwegian Landrace, proved to be a fusion of maternal traits well-suited to today's world.

Topigs Norsvin is growing, but its home base is shrinking. How many sows have disappeared from the scene in our own country in the past year?
Van Oort: "Not surprisingly, the implementation of the various termination regulations has led to a significant reduction. According to our calculations, there were still around 715.000 sows on Dutch farms in the summer of 2024. In the period up to the summer of 2025, approximately 85.000 sows were taken out of production. This brings the number of sows to approximately 630.000, a reduction of 12%. Based on our own insights, but also through coordination and consultation with other chain partners, we expect the number of sows to decline slightly further in 2026. We currently expect 595.000 sows in the Netherlands by the end of 2026, which means a further reduction of around 35.000 productive sows."

What does this picture look like in other European countries?
Van Oort: "In most European countries, we're seeing a slight decline in the number of sows. Normally, the number of sows decreases by 2% per year due to higher productivity. In Denmark, the number of sows has fluctuated around 900.000 for years. In Germany, too, after years of decline, the number has been stabilizing for a while now at around 1,35 million. In Spain, the number of sows is stable at around 2,7 million."

Strikkeling adds: "The Spanish sow farming industry is well-segmented, with around 500.000 sows specifically kept within quality concepts, such as Iberico. A similar number of sows also produce Duroc genetics to effectively serve specific export markets in Asia, among others. They also use this for branding in Spanish retail."

So the current price pressure on the market is mainly due to the increasing production of the number of sows available?
Van Oort: "That's a factor besides the limited export opportunities. Predicting future developments is difficult, because consumption also plays a role, but we are, of course, seeing increasing pressure across Europe on companies to invest in animal welfare. That won't be feasible for everyone. It remains to be seen to what extent that production capacity will be taken over by other companies and what impact this will have on the number of sows."

Will the current price drop have an impact here?
Van Oort: "Incidents can always affect the market. Think of a new buyback scheme during a price drop, or the consequences of, for example, an outbreak of African swine fever in a European country or possibly our own. We've seen in recent weeks the blow the Spanish sector has suffered after such an outbreak."

After the merger with Norsvin and the introduction of the TN70, growth outside Europe has been particularly rapid. The terminal boars have also contributed to this. Sales in North and South America, for example, have more than tripled. How significant is this growth?
While we're fully focused on growth and market share, maintaining a sufficiently large and growing budget for research and development is vital in our industry. With growing revenue and the ability to better optimize the cost structure, you simply have more opportunities to do this. The success of the TN70 and the terminal sires has clearly improved results and enabled us to invest more in R&D. Dutch members in the barn benefit from faster genetic progress.

What makes the TN70 so attractive, even for large integrations in countries like the United States?
Strikkeling: 'We see that in other countries the same issues often exist as in ours. Finding well-trained personnel is difficult, which means there is a demand for self-sufficient, strong animals. For a long time now, balanced breeding The motto of our breeding program. Not only the number of piglets counts, but equally important are criteria such as robustness, maternal qualities, susceptibility to disease, CO2 footprint, and so on. If we look at the US, for example, we see that sow mortality has risen to 14% to 15% in just a few years. With the TN70, we're averaging well below 10%. Large integrations that rely on external labor, often from abroad, are increasingly appreciating these qualities. The confidence of large integrations is also reflected in the 20% market share we've achieved in the US sow market.

In recent years, turnover has grown annually by around 10% to 15%. What will the year 2025 look like?
Strikkeling: "The momentum is maintained and growth continues. So far, we seem to be heading for 18% revenue growth by 2025. In Brazil, for example, we're now the largest national player in sow genetics. Our market share in this growth market is 33%. But globally, things are going very well this year. In countries like Spain and the United States, we can't meet all the demand for the TN70. There's also a lot of demand for Topigs Norsvin genetics in smaller pig-producing countries like Bulgaria and Greece."

How much potential is there left for the coming years?
Strikkeling: "There are still plenty of opportunities and we notice that the current supply, based on balanced breeding, which effectively meets market needs in many different markets. Competitors are certainly not standing still, but from adjusting breeding goals to reaping the benefits in practice takes years. In the meantime, we are also continuing to develop our offering. Our challenge is to ensure that our products continue to meet market demands.

Are you, as a company, also reaping the benefits of the fact that competitors, for example, may have overtaken themselves in terms of big numbers?
Van Oort: "You could certainly say that, but we must primarily focus on aligning our own breeding goals with the needs of sow farmers, pig farmers, and slaughterhouses worldwide. That ultimately determines our success."

You're also active in Asia, but your market share lags behind that of other continents. How is that possible?
Strikkeling: "In the Chinese market, for example, we see that there are still many local suppliers of genetics. In addition, there's still a lot of transactional sales (one-time transactions with a greater focus on price and efficiency). It's not an easy market to penetrate. For several years now, we've been working closely with companies like Muyuan Foods, the largest Chinese pork producer with approximately 3,5 million sows under management. A good local network and distribution capabilities are important in these countries."

You indicate that in many countries the market is still quite fragmented and that there are many companies active in genetics. Are there any acquisition plans?
Van Oort: "There have been quite a few mergers in our world, including between large companies. It's important for everyone to maintain a size that allows for continued investment in progress. We're sometimes approached for collaboration, but of course, there has to be mutual interest. This can be in all sorts of areas: does the other company have products or competencies in which they excel, or are there networks in certain regions that could be valuable to you? Growth through mergers or acquisitions isn't a goal in itself; we only believe in it if you can strengthen each other inherently. For example, as we see in our collaboration with Muyuan Foods."