Wrapping up June: What’s new in the world of pigs?
Pig Progress brings you the latest business news and updates from the global pig industry, including DanBred’s expansion into Ukraine and the launch of a new postbiotic solution for piglets. This and more.
Freshly mixed vaccination made easier with TwistPak
Boehringer Ingelheim’s TwistPak for FLEXcombo is a patented bottle system that lets swine producers easily and safely mix Ingelvac CircoFLEX and Ingelvac MycoFLEX vaccines at the point of use – no needle transfer needed. This offers a more convenient and hygienic alternative to traditional mixing methods.
Lesaffre and Zilor enter joint venture
French fermentation and microorganism company Lesaffre has acquired a 70% stake in Biorigin, a business unit of Brazilian multinational Zilor, which produces sugar, ethanol, renewable energy, and animal nutrition ingredients from sugarcane. This joint venture combines the expertise of Biospringer by Lesaffre and Biorigin to deliver enhanced yeast derivative and savory ingredient solutions for the food and feed industries.
De Heus acquires Voeders Huys, expanding into Belgium and France
De Heus Animal Nutrition announced the acquisition of Voeders Huys, a Belgian feed producer with production sites in Bruges (Belgium) and Northern France. This move strengthens De Heus’ position in Western Europe, a key region where the company has already experienced significant commercial growth and will now also produce locally.
Evonik optimises global production setup for MetAmino
Evonik will continue to optimise its global methionine production setup for MetAmino (DL-methionine) in the 3rd and 4th quarter of 2025. Implementation of several technical measures requires a shutdown of the production facilities for methionine and its precursors for 6-7 weeks each at Evonik’s Singapore site in August/September and at its Antwerp site in September/October 2025.
ProtonDx partnership secures grant to tackle AMR and pig disease
ProtonDx’s IMPACT-Farm Alliance partnership has been awarded an R&D Partnership grant from Innovate UK Farming Innovation Programme to advance the development of Lacewing, a sample-to-result diagnostic tool designed to detect disease outbreaks and optimise vaccine strategies on pig farms. Lacewing is a ‘lab-on-a-chip’ technology capable of detecting and diagnosing porcine respiratory infections such as PRRSV, PRDC and influenza.
Agrifirm Hungary to become part of UBM Group
Agrifirm and UBM Group have agreed that Agrifirm Hungary will become part of UBM Group, marking an important step in the further consolidation of the agricultural sector in Hungary. UBM Group is an agricultural group specialising in crop trading, compound feed production, and the supply of high-quality feed ingredients in Hungary. The transaction is expected to be completed in August 2025.
Coren benefits from partnership with The Schippers Group
The Spanish cooperative Coren and The Schippers Group report impressive pig farming results thanks to HyCare, a system emphasising total hygiene control. Piglet mortality during rearing dropped to 1%, and antibiotics were eliminated without harming animal health. HyCare covers barn cleaning, water quality, gut health, and routines. Since collaborating, they’ve successfully weaned over 10,000 extra piglets.
DanBred expands into Ukraine
The Vitagro Group of Companies and Danish-owned genetics company DanBred will establish a multiplier farm in Ukraine that will house DanBred Yorkshire, DanBred Landrace, and DanBred Duroc. It will produce DanBred Hybrids and DanBred Duroc terminal boars, making the full range of DanBred breeding pigs available to Ukrainian producers. DanBred Duroc semen will also be offered in the future. The company also reported improved herd productivity in 2024, when Danish customers averaged 36.2 weaned piglets/sow/year (a nearly 2 piglet increase in 2 years). Finisher herds also saw daily gains rise to 1,065 g (up 32 g in 1 year) and feed efficiency improve by 0.047 kg per kg gain compared to 2023.
ChainCraft and Innovad Group enter supply agreement
ChainCraft, a company that produces sustainable chemicals of food waste, has entered into a long-term exclusive supply agreement for butyricacid to the animal nutrition sector with animal health and nutrition solutions company Innovad Group. ChainCraft will supply fatty acids of high purity to Innovad, enabling production of low carbon advanced feed additives that support both animal intestinal health and environmental sustainability.
DSM-Firmenich launches GutServ Biotix postbiotic
DSM-Firmenich Animal Nutrition & Health has announced the launch of GutServ Biotix, a postbiotic solution designed to support piglet health, resilience and performance by strengthening gut integrity and functionality. GutServ Biotix’s compatibility with all feed types and processing conditions makes it a flexible solution that is heat-tolerant, stable, and easy to handle.
Hog Slat marks 25 years of partnership with Ro-Main
Hog Slat marks 25 years of its distribution partnership with Ro-Main. The milestone was commemorated during the 2025 World Pork Expo in Des Moines, Iowa. The partnership focuses on Ro-Main’s animal handling solutions, supported by Hog Slat’s sales and service network.
Novus appoints new sales manager for Northwest Europe
Aurélie Montagnon has joined Novus as sales manager for Northwest Europe, expanding the company’s regional support for poultry and swine producers. Montagnon, who is based in the Netherlands, will serve customers in Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, the UK, Ireland, and Scandinavia.
