Schuttert is not just a regular pig producer. Based in the Netherlands, the family owned business runs both its own breeding and growing facilities. Moreover, Schuttert is contracting independent farmers, producing for them under strict conditions, such as with long tails. Partly, they are mixing byproducts from the food industry and cereals from their own crop farm into the liquid feed for their pigs. Much future oriented! 

By Ad Bal.

The Schuttert company was founded in 1930 as a pig trading company, four generations ago. Currently it is managed by Jan and Marian Schuttert.  They run pig operations, a pig trading company, a horse stable and a crop farm. Also, the next generation is now making its entrance into the company. Such as son Johan (27), who nowadays is to a large extent responsible for the pig operations and for the contract farmers who are producing for them.  That is quite a job.

Schuttert runs six farms of their own:  three breeding farms on which they keep 3.700 sows in total, two grower farms with 17.200 fattening pigs and one farm on which they raise 750 guilts. Throughout the country, 60 more farmers are breeding and growing for them. They own a fleet of 25 trucks for hauling pigs and have a staff of 65 people.

“We aim to produce high quality pigs”, says Johan. “For that reason, we have strict rules on our own farms. Entrance is not allowed without taking precautionary hygiene measures, such as showering and wearing company clothing. 

Our focus is much on animal welfare and health. Pigs who are doing well, will automatically perform well. That demands adequate management, of which feeding is an essential element. “

Using byproducts
“The easiest way of feeding growing pigs, is to give them concentrated dry feed from the feed mill”, says Johan. “However, we also aim to use products from our own crop farm, such as cereals, as well as byproducts from the food industry in the region nearby our grower farms. Such products are “Grainpro” (byproduct from bio-ethanol production), potato peels, whey, fries which have surpassed due date for human consumption and other. We mix liquid feed with a high fiber content on the farms, thereby using about 10 percent ingredients from the feed mill. This way of feed production demands much attention. In particular, there must be a quick turnover speed in order to safeguard good quality of the byproduct ingredients. That must be monitored permanently. “ “Using byproducts is truly cost saving”, Johan continues....