At our company, we care deeply about the training, professional growth, and overall well-being of both the employees and customers.
In times of climate change, where reducing greenhouse gas emissions is a top priority, the pig plays a key role in the sustainable provision of premium proteins to a growing world population.
Topigs Norsvin takes responsibility for breeding pigs that thrive in future production environments—stronger, healthier, and more efficient.
At our company, we care deeply about the training, professional growth, and overall well-being of both the employees and customers.
“Farmers sit at the intersection of humans and nature. By supplying products and animals, we impact that relationship every day through our operations.”
“Our mission is clear: breed pigs that thrive in tomorrow’s farming environments, where climate resilience, animal welfare, health and economic sustainability are non-negotiable.”
At Topigs Norsvin, sustainability is not viewed as a separate initiative, but as an integrated part of how the company develops genetics, supports farmers, and contributes to society.
We are swine genetics company Topigs Norsvin, renowned for our innovative genetic solutions for sustainable and cost-efficient pig production. With our research and balanced breeding program, we contribute to our customers producing a healthy, nutritious, and sustainable protein source: delicious pork.
Advanced research and innovation are the cornerstones of our business. With these, we help our customers realize innovative solutions and achieve high genetic progress.
We are fully committed to contributing to responsible and sustainable pig production for future generations. Sustainability is a main driver for our breeding goals, research, and support. Topigs Norsvin underlines its commitment to a responsible and sustainable approach by embracing Code EFABAR.
More than 35 years ago, we established a long-term vision for breeding. At the core of our breeding program is balanced breeding, an approach that ensures selection in favor of production traits never comes at the expense of animal health and welfare. This philosophy still guides us today and goes hand in hand with supporting the long-term sustainability of the pork production sector.
The Topigs Norsvin balanced breeding approach is built on broad breeding goals that combine productivity with welfare-related traits. This makes our animals more adaptable to a wide range of production environments, an adaptability that is crucial to allow our animals to thrive and support farming systems of the future.
In addition to this philosophy, our breeding program abides by Code EFABAR, a European commitment to the responsible breeding of animals. There are six pillars of the code:
Within our balanced breeding approach, the structural integrity of the animal is never compromised when selecting for productivity-focused traits such as faster growth rate. We also ensure that mortality rates do not increase as a consequence of selection for higher productivity.
This balanced breeding philosophy extends to health and welfare traits, such as congenital defects and osteochondritis. The latter is monitored using CT-scan imaging.
Genetic selection over many generations alters the pig’s anatomy. We must ensure that internal organs develop in a sustainable direction. At Topigs Norsvin, the size and shape of internal organs are measured using CT imaging. Developmental trends, as an indirect response to selection, are observed and monitored.
Our research in this area is organized under the research platform Health and Behavior and comprises more than 20 ongoing research initiatives.
We breed our sows so that they are autonomous and can rely on their natural behaviors to function in farming environments. With a focus on a sow that can take care of herself and her piglets, less farmer interventions are needed. This reduces labor inputs and aids farmers in their management practices. We advocate that every extra piglet born should be weaned by its own mother, which spotlights a key advantage of our TN70 sow – that she is a remarkable mother. This is thanks to to our selection on maternal traits.
Aside from the sow, breeding for stress resistance and management of the temperaments of the animals facilitates smoother management of pigs at the farm level.
Carcass and meat quality are integrated parts of our breeding program and can be precisely improved through the use of advanced technology. Our approach to improvement includes CT-scanning for loin depth measurements, machine learning for automated image analysis, and meat quality arrays using techniques such as near-infrared spectrometry (NIRS).
We supply genetics to diverse markets worldwide, and different cultures have different taste preferences for their pork. Our breeding strives to fulfill these needs. For example, Topigs Norsvin has included selection for reduced boar taint in our index for both terminal boar and sow lines for years. Dutch slaughterhouses confirm that the number of animals with boar taint has clearly decreased since 2012.
Topigs Norsvin research initiatives on meat quality are organized through our Meat and Climate research platform.
Globally, disease is one of the biggest threats to pig farming, but pathogens vary from region to region. Instead of chasing every new bug, Topigs Norsvin is taking the smarter route: breeding pigs for disease resilience. Based on many years of research and development, we are advancing a breeding strategy that is focused on enhanced general disease resilience.
Biosecurity stands as a cornerstone for swine farm success, ensuring herd health and productivity. At Topigs Norsvin, our specialists are pivotal in advancing biosecurity practices and use their expertise to provide tailored guidance to farmers.
The swine industry faces significant health challenges when introducing animals to farms, as this poses one of the most critical risks for disease transmission. With the Topigs Norsvin in-house nucleus breeding program InGene, no animals need to be introduced on a farm.
Ensuring that high-quality, disease-free genetics are delivered to our customers is the top priority for Topigs Norsvin and our Artificial Insemination (AI) Center partners. Semen production is subject to strict biosecurity protocols to prevent disease transmission.
Our integrated approach with balanced breeding supports the pigs’ natural robustness to disease and adaptability to various production environments. Combined with biosecurity efforts and on-farm optimization, this sets the foundation for low use of antibiotics in production, an important parameter for meat quality and its implications for human health.
Through our breeding program and research, we have developed an extensive understanding of what our animals are capable of under different farming conditions and systems. At the farm level, it is essential that our animals achieve their genetic potential and excel in their performance, thereby contributing to the farm’s economic viability.
To achieve genetic potential, pigs require supportive living conditions. Whether related to housing, feed, breeding program management, biosecurity, or animal welfare, our technical service teams work closely with customers to help optimize conditions and maximize performance.
In our own operations, we perform yearly audits to ensure that our animals live in healthy conditions that maintain the quality of our genetics, semen, and breeding stock.