Part of its work into developing innovative pig feeds, the main aim of the new research centre, De Elsenpas, is to conduct nutritional research relating to practical issues.
The research centre functions as a conventional, modern farm with sows, piglets and fatteners. Imitating the real world under controlled conditions is a prerequisite for thorough research. The centre has space for 230 sows with accompanying piglets, breeding sows and 900 fatteners. This set-up lets De Heus to carry out unique nutritional research into all animal groups, and across the various animal groups for which long-term effects can also be determined. The pigs are fed individually in feeding stations, making it possible to examine several feeds concurrently. The research centre holds SPF status and has strict external and internal biosecurity.
Johan Zonderland, pigs concept development & research team leader said: “I’m pleased that we’re using De Elsenpas for research. De Heus’ feed innovations contribute to solutions for the challenges faced by pig farming worldwide: an even better use of scarce raw materials, a low-medication pig chain and a better association with society’s wishes and the natural environment.”
“The investment in the new research centre matches our strategy perfectly, to combine knowledge and research further and to use it for the development of innovative animal feed products,” added Martin Rijnen, group director nutrition at De Heus. “It lets us innovate even more effectively and add more value to the pig chain.”
As well as The Netherlands, De Heus operates in more than 70 countries, including Spain, Vietnam, Portugal, Poland, Russia, Myanmar, the Czech Republic, Egypt, Ethiopia, South Africa, Brazil, Serbia, Indonesia, Ukraine and India. The company has more than 6,000 employees worldwide, 650 of them in the Netherlands. Its head office is located in Ede-Wageningen in the Netherlands.