The SKF’s founders comprise Sweden’s biggest slaughterhouses, including Skövde Slakteri, Dalsjöfors Kött, KLS Ugglarps, Dahlbergs, Ginsten and Nyhléns Hugosons.
Meat processor HKScan Sverige AB, owned by Finland’s leading meat producer HKScan, is also a co-founder, holding a 24% equity stake in SKF.
Apart from its industry promotional role, SKF will also operate as an industry consultant to meat producers, providing specialist direction on animal husbandry, markets access, pricing strategy, export and distribution support.
"Meat production in Sweden has the potential to grow and grow. SKF’s role will be to enhance the competitiveness of livestock producers in Sweden. We will achieve this by pooling advisory expertise, animal health and welfare, and excellence in pig genetics into a single organisation that further strengthens animal production," said Hans Agné, SKF’s managing director.
The SKF will also function as an agenda-setting organisation by leading public debate on animal health and meat quality issues with politicians and consumer groups, added SKF’s chairman, Hans-Åke Hammarström.
"On the advisory side, SKF will have important partners in Sveriges Grisföretagare (Swedish pig association), Sveriges Nötköttsproducenter (Swedish beef producers association) and Svenska Fåravelsförbundet (Swedish sheep farming association)," Hammarström told GlobalMeatNews.
The SKF will promote "competition-neutral" meat-related issues, engage in relevant legislative and regulatory processes, and work towards building a strong platform for the future growth of the meat industry in Sweden, said Göran Holm, executive vice-president of HKScan for Nordic consumer business.
The move comes while HKScan is streamlining its core businesses in Sweden. It is selling shares in a number of its Sweden-based companies to SKF, including its 50% equity holding in animal health services firm Svenska Djurhälsovården AB; its 16% stake in the meat marketing and promotion company Svenskt Kött i Sverige AB; and HKScan Sverige’s 92.6% shareholding in Quality Genetics Sweden HB.
Additionally, SKF is acquiring HKScan’s 39.3% equity holding in the beef production promotion agency Taurus Köttrådgivning AB and the Finnish meat group’s 22% shareholding in the pig genetics consultancy company Svenska Pig AB. Taurus Köttrådgivning and Svenska Pig AB will be merged into SKF’s advisory division.