Pig adoption program provides peace-of-mind meat, cooperative earns 1.5 million in three months

“Pig adoption” means that after the piglets leave the nursery bed, adopters pay 4000 yuan to adopt a piglet, and the cooperative in Daqiuzhuang Town, Jinghai District, Tianjin provides the breeding service. Adopters can follow the piglet's growth through video, and can also visit the cooperative at any time to check on it. After the pigs are ready for market, the cooperative can also provide slaughtering and other services, ensuring that consumers get to eat ecologically healthy, safe and reassuring pork. Since the cooperative launched this new “pig adoption” business in May this year, more than 370 pigs have been adopted one after another, generating income of around 1.5 million.

Adopt a piglet for 4000 yuan, and 4 and a half months later you can eat peace-of-mind pork —— this is not a farm simulation game, but a brand-new business development model launched by the Zhongyang Youpin Livestock Breeding Farmers' Professional Cooperative in Daqiuzhuang Town, Jinghai District, to scientifically respond to the cyclical fluctuations of the pig market.

Under this “pig adoption” development model, after the piglets leave the nursery bed, the adopter pays a deposit and signs an adoption contract with the cooperative. The successfully adopted piglets are marked with ear tags and raised and managed uniformly by the cooperative's breeders. During the breeding process, adopters can follow the piglet's growth through video, and can also visit the cooperative at any time to check on it.

Walking into the cooperative's breeding farm in the Daqiuzhuang Agricultural Demonstration Park, the reporter saw groups of piglets being driven out of the pigsties by the keepers, leisurely “taking a walk” and eating wild vegetables. Following the keepers to the sanitation and epidemic prevention shed, the Daqiuzhuang black pigs, recognized by the Ministry of Agriculture as a national geographical indication protected product, were preparing to “bathe” and undergo health quarantine. The staff told the reporter that except on rainy days, sunbathing, bathing and walking at fixed times every day have become the “living habits” of these piglets.

At present, the cooperative has 9 pigsties and raises more than 700 pigs of breeds such as British Large White and Landrace, and more than 300 Daqiuzhuang black pigs. Because the cooperative implements standardized and unified management of the pigs, creates a high-quality environment for pig breeding, and ensures the smooth growth of the piglets, consumers come in an endless stream to handle adoption business. Since the cooperative launched this new “pig adoption” business in May this year, more than 370 pigs have been adopted one after another.

“From the farm to the consumer's dining table, a pig must go through at least purchasing, slaughtering, retail and other links, and every link may give rise to food safety problems.” Zhang Jinyong told the reporter with particular confidence that from breeding to slaughtering, the cooperative has technical staff, epidemic prevention staff and keepers exercising strict management, and it is quite hygienic. Moreover, after 4 and a half months of growth, a pig can weigh more than 200 jin, and after it is ready for market the cooperative can also provide slaughtering and other services, ensuring that consumers get to eat ecologically healthy, safe and reassuring pork.

Adopter Li Yao told the reporter: “A friend and I adopted a pig together. This approach feels quite novel, and when you do the math it is about the same as the market price. The key thing is being able to eat peace-of-mind meat, which I think is especially worthwhile.”