Laying the Groundwork

On 24 February 1922, Dutch pig farmers establish the Centraal Bureau voor de Varkensfokkerij (CBV) with one purpose: to improve pig breeding together. Farmer-owned from day one — this cooperative spirit would define the company for a century.

Norwegian pig farmers found Norsvin as their own cooperative, built on the same principles: science-led breeding, farmer ownership, long-term thinking. The two organizations share a philosophy — decades before they share a name.

Several new Dutch breeding companies launch — Fomeva, Dalland, and Cofok (owned by meat processors), alongside the established herdbooks. Competition accelerates experimentation and ambition.

Cofok and Prova merge to form Dumeco Breeding, part of meat processor Dumeco (later VION Food Group). The Dutch breeding landscape begins to consolidate around fewer, stronger programs.

Stamboek, Dalland, and Fomeva unite under one breeding program — Topigs. This marks the first major unification of Dutch farmer-owned genetics. Within the same period, breeding for piglet survival is introduced: a sign of a new, more holistic vision for what a breeding program should achieve.

Topigs researchers and geneticist develop methods to breed simultaneously for mothering qualities in sows and survival qualities in piglets — not just growth. This 'Balanced Breeding' approach considers the entire animal across its whole life. Topigs Norsvin is the inventor and still its leading advocate.

Topigs and Dumeco Breeding merge. Nearly all pig breeding in the Netherlands is now united under one roof, bringing together the genetics of Stamboek, Dalland, Fomeva, Cofok, and Prova. Farmer-owned structure is preserved.

The technology allows data to be obtained on live pigs and routine measurements include carcass composition, such as size of cuts and presence of osteochondrosis. The aim is to be able to select the best breeding pigs for the breeding program.

Topigs acquires Canadian breeding company GAP Genetics (previously owned by food processor Maple Leaf), establishing a foothold in North America and accessing valuable Canadian genetic lines.

Topigs begins systematic selection to reduce boar taint — the off-flavor found in meat from uncastrated males. A major animal welfare and meat quality milestone, enabling producers to keep intact males without compromising pork quality.

DNA information is used to calculate breeding values for the first time. Genomic selection transforms the speed and accuracy of genetic improvement — a pig's genetic merit can now be predicted from a tissue sample, long before performance is measured.

Dutch Topigs and Norwegian Norsvin — both farmer-owned cooperatives — merge their international operations into Topigs Norsvin. Dutch breeding excellence combined with Norwegian genetics quality creates the world's second-largest swine genetics company, active in over 50 countries.

A new boar test and research centre (Delta Canada) and nucleus centre (Innova Canada) are opened, centralising nucleus breeding for the Z-line and TN Tempo in Canada. North American presence becomes a cornerstone of the global breeding structure.

Topigs Norsvin marks the centenary of the CBV's founding on 24 February 1922. The company now operates in nearly 70 countries, employs over 1,600 people, and runs one of the world's most ambitious swine research programs.

A boar test and research center opens in Norway, strengthening the European research backbone and enabling phenotyping at scale in Scandinavian conditions. This is part of a deliberate multi-year plan to upgrade the entire global breeding infrastructure.

Active in 70+ countries across Europe, the Americas, Asia, and Africa, Topigs Norsvin drives genetic progress across over 40 traits — including feed efficiency, animal welfare, disease robustness, and climate impact. Still farmer-owned. Still advancing. Still breeding the balanced pig.