A major British pig breeding company, JSR, is playing a leading role in the development of meat Quality Partnerships to help processors and retailers capitalise on consumers' requirement for better eating quality pork.
The other partners in the ground-breaking initiatives designed to provide higher standards of pork production and improved profits for all include Sainsbury's, Cranswick, Marks & Spencer, Grampian Country Foods and Geo Adams.
The Yorkshire-based company is demonstrating that producers, processors and retailers can all work together to provide the consumer with a consistent high quality eating experience coupled with the world renowned performance characteristics of the JSR genotype.
The new partnerships in this latest project will see sire lines selected and produced to provide higher yields of lean meat and deliver more succulent, tender and tasty pork to provide points of difference for each of the three processors and two retailers to promote.
For example M & S, for their Muirden Pork ranges have chosen JSR Sirelines specially selected for their succulence and taste. Sainsbury's have chosen a unique genotype for their 'Taste the Difference' pork range specially selected for its exceptional meat eating quality and tenderness. The Geo Adams Titan Pork Scheme is based on high yields of lean meat and valuable primal cuts of the Adams Titan.
With the pigs meeting precise specifications to suit particular markets, the processor will be able to cut down on waste and get more value out of the carcase.
Producers belonging to the Geo Adam's Titan Pork Partners Scheme will, meanwhile, enjoy bonus payments of up to 60p over their contract price for pigs that meet the right targets when taken to slaughter - and JSR will benefit from the higher prices achieved by the animals,
The Yorkshire-based company is also expected to see an increased demand for the semen sold into the schemes which will provide funding to invest in future genetic research and development.
A spokeswoman for Geo Adams said: "As part of this scheme, we reward producers financially for producing the pigs in the form of a bonus per pig, based on the extra value of the carcase. Ultimately, the scheme will make the pork supply chain more profitable by sharing the extra value of the improved carcases with every stage of the chain."
Tim Rymer, JSR Chairman, who is confident in the schemes because every link in the supply chain sees benefits, said: "We all share the same goal; hence the relationships are altruistic, with no one able to prosper without the other. Today's markets dictate the need to produce animals that both perform well for the Producer and provide a memorable eating experience for the Consumer."
The innovative schemes are an excellent example of how a forward-thinking pig breeding company can provide eating quality solutions for a fast changing market place.
