Netherlands have been known as an agrarian and trade nation long since. Due to its poor land and constant fight with the see for it the Dutch more than any nation stored agricultural knowledge. Nowadays the agrarian sector of Netherland is considered to be the most developed and productive. The Dutch products are welcome all over the world because of its perfect quality. Little tiny Netherlands (41.5 thousand km²) occupies the first place in eggs export, the fourth in cheese production, and the fifth in butter production .Besides it exports three quarter of produced meat. The second part of which is pork and pork products. Dutch perfect knowledge and achievements in agro technologies, especially in pig production has become an example to be followed.

Nowadays Netherlands is among the five countries richest in pigs in the European Union. Years 1970-80 was most dynamic period in the development of pig production sector. In those years a lot of small family pig farms appeared on sand land which was not suitable for crop production .Today 90% of all country’s pigs are kept in such provinces as North Brabant, Limburg, Gelderland, Overijssel. To tell the truth, the number of pigs stopped increasing and even went downward after 1997. The was an epidemic of classic swine fever and as a result aggravation of competition on world market

Soon the branch renewed and nowadays the regulatory policy of the country is focused on keeping comparatively steady quantity of pigs. The population of the small country (150 km wide and 300km long) is 16 million people and the pig stock reaches 12 million.

Netherlands still remains the country with the best conditions for pig production. The pig sector has a well-developed infrastructure and convenient logistics. In particular, the average distance from Amsterdam to triangle points London-Paris-Berlin (places of Dutch pork and pork products export) is 500 km. Well-developed food industry provides pig production with by-products which are successfully used in feed production. Dutch technologies are acknowledged not only by local farmers: the efficiency of electronic feeding systems, automatic feeders, ventilation systems, systems for manure disposal and utilization, etc. are known and approved all over the world.

Dutch pig stock (the leader — companies are Topics and Hyper) is not worse than Danish and it’s due to constant improvements in genetics.

Outstanding technological and productive achievements in pig production sector became possible as a result of government support, science dynamic position, branch unions.

Wageningen University is famous around the world for its researches and innovation developments.

You can read more in the magazine publication "Profitable Pig Production", № 4, June 2011