Seminar on Market-driven Animal Welfare in the EU

and the U.S.

Washington, March 22Annechien ten Have-Mellema, LTO Nederland

Personal introduction• Pig farmer • Chairman of Dutch farmers

organization LTO Nederland, section pig farming

• Vice-chairman of Product Board for Livestock and Meat

• Chairman of steering committee of the Dutch project ‘Ending castration of male piglets’

My farm

• Breeding farm: 320 sows, production of gilts and fattening pigs

• Family-operated • Group housing sows on straw

since 2000 • Fattening of non-castrated boars

since 1995• Arable farming and biogas• Producing in a market concept

Focus of the Dutch pig industry• Strong emphasis on farm animal welfare: license to

produce, sustainability • Anti-castration: high on the agenda • Introduction of group housing sows 2013• Market concept: One star-concept

Focus of the Dutch pig farmers

• Basic EU legislation– Extra demands: market concepts

• Networking between farmers – research • Working together with NGO’s and in the whole chain.

• Be proud of your precursors, they show the way to the future

How to move on?• Pig farmers want to change • We can succeed if all partners in the pig meat chain

work together• A farmer only survives when he

Thank you for your attention

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