COLUMN LAJK: Pig farmers of the future

New on Kiempunt is a column from LAJK, or Limburgs Agrarisch Jongeren Kontakt. The column is written by a young farmer about a particular theme that is currently very important to him/her. This edition was written by Patrick Classens.

The times are turbulent in the pig industry. A new balance has to be found in the manure sales, the AVP came very close last summer and piglet prices have also come under a lot of pressure. A wave of closures is imminent, partly as a result of companies without successors. All in all, these are not things that will give you energy as a future pig farmer. Despite this, I see at the LAJK that there is still a great group of young entrepreneurs ready for a future in pig farming. Young entrepreneurs with new ideas for their future business operations, entrepreneurs who want to continue with what the previous generation has built up, entrepreneurs who are eager to get started.

It should be clear that the future will look different. As predicted by Rabobank, the number of pig farmers will decrease significantly but the diversity will probably also increase. Concept production continues to develop, whether it is concept production in a chain or concept production with its own sales, all of which enrich the pig sector. Every entrepreneur will still have to choose a clear direction for something that suits them or the company best.

Within the LAJK you see that members are also open to this. Through the activities everyone tries to develop personally but they also look at companies, both inside and outside the sector, that do things differently than the rest. In this way we also try to inspire our members for their own (future) companies. At the same time, a great opportunity to meet other young entrepreneurs in the same field.

Despite the turbulent times, there are also positive things to mention. The province recently reopened the scheme for sustainability of agricultural businesses for young entrepreneurs and from politics there are also positive signals, including a provisional agreement on the fertilizer regulation in Europe. Together with a broad view of the future young entrepreneurs, this gives us energy to work on a pig husbandry sector we can be proud of in the future.

Patrick Classens

LAJK is committed to a perspective future for young agricultural Limburg.
It focuses on development, entrepreneurship and passion for the agricultural sector. Members learn from each other, follow relevant courses and are socially active. LAJK also gives a voice to the common interests in the province of Limburg and society. Would you like to give your opinion? Then please respond below!
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