1. Seminar on Market-driven
Animal Welfare in the EU
and the U.S.
Washington, March 22
Annechien ten Have-Mellema,
LTO Nederland

2. 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’

3. 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

4. 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

5. 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

6. 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

7. Thank you for your attention
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