Tuesday, 05 March 2013 08:56

High tech innovation at new boar stud

Written by 

A new Gene Transfer Centre (GTC) opened in Hororata, Canterbury is set to become the largest pig semen collection and processing facility for the New Zealand pork industry. The GTC was opened by Associate Minister for Primary Industry Jo Goodhew on Friday.

PIC stands for Pig Improvement Company and is a privately owned franchise in New Zealand and forms part of the global PIC business.

"Our goal is to provide world leading genetics to pig producers to improve their productivity and product quality. The new GTC is a big part of that," says Peter MacDonald, general manager, PIC New Zealand.

"This new boar stud is using the latest technology to ensure that high health and quality semen is consistently supplied to our customers."

MacDonald says customer satisfaction is the top priority for the company. "We only want the best boars in our stud, to ensure the best performance of the progeny on our customer's farm."

Retaining a high health status is critically important for the business and the industry, MacDonald said. "There is no compromise on our biosecurity and the new stud is using air-filtration systems to minimise the risk of air-borne diseases entering the facility."

The New Zealand pork industry is a great industry to be involved in, he says. "We are very proud to be part of the industry and pleased to be able to bring innovation and improvement to it."

More like this

TB warning on wild pigs

TBfree New Zealand has joined forces with Northland Regional Council to warn people about the disease risk of illegally introducing wild pigs and deer into the region.

Featured

NZ growers lead freshwater compliance

Horticulture New Zealand (HortNZ) says that commercial fruit and vegetable growers are getting ahead of freshwater farm plan regulations through its Growing Change project.

Case IH partners with Meet the Need

Tractor manufacturer and distributor Case IH has announced a new partnership with Meet the Need, the grassroots, farmer-led charity working to tackle food insecurity across New Zealand one meal at a time.

25 years on - where are they now?

To celebrate 25 years of the Hugh Williams Memorial Scholarship, Ravensdown caught up with past recipients to see where their careers have taken them, and what the future holds for the industry.

National

Machinery & Products

Iconic TPW Woolpress turns 50!

The company behind the iconic TPW Woolpress, which fundamentally changed the way wool is baled in Australia and New Zealand,…

» Latest Print Issues Online

The Hound

Keep it up

OPINION: The good fight against "banking wokery" continues with a draft bill to scrap the red tape forcing banks and…

We're OK!

OPINION: Despite the volatility created by the shoot-from-the-hip trade tariff 'stratefy' being deployed by the new state tenants in the…

» Connect with Rural News

» eNewsletter

Subscribe to our weekly newsletter