The awards ceremony recognized the technical excellence, commitment to innovation, and continuous improvement of the country’s leading Iberian pig farms.
The prizes were awarded to 24 farms in Castile and León and Extremadura, two regions with a long-standing tradition in Iberian pig production.
The Alcazaba of Jerez de los Caballeros (Badajoz) hosted on June 12 the 10th edition of the Porc d’Or Iberian Awards gala. In an event that brought together more than 450 professionals from across the entire value chain, the effort, professionalism, and technical-productive excellence of the most outstanding Iberian pig farms in the country were recognized.
The celebration in Jerez de los Caballeros, one of the historic enclaves linked to Iberian production, reinforces the commitment of the Porc d’Or Iberian Awards to connect with the main producing regions and highlight the role of the farms that support the sector’s leadership at both national and international levels. The gala was supported by the City Council of Jerez de los Caballeros as co-organizer for 2026, serving as the host of this tenth edition.
The event was attended by institutional representatives, companies from the sector, researchers, and organizations linked to the agri-food field. Among the attending authorities were the mayor of Jerez de los Caballeros, Raúl Gordillo; the Secretary of State for Agriculture and Food, Begoña García; the Regional Minister of Economy of the Government of Extremadura, Guillermo Santamaría; the Director General of Agriculture and Livestock of the Government of Catalonia, Rosa Altisent; the president of ANPROGAPOR, Manuel García; the director of ASICI, Jesús Pérez; the director of the Swine Business Unit at CEVA Animal Health, Rafael Pedrazuela; and the Director General of IRTA, Josep Usall, among other authorities and institutional representatives from the agri-food sector.
The mayor of Jerez de los Caballeros, Raúl Gordillo, highlighted that “the selection of the town as the host of the Porc d’Or Iberian Awards represents recognition of a land closely linked to the culture of the Iberian pig and the dehesa, pillars of its identity, economy, and tradition.” In this regard, he stated that “hosting the Porc d’Or Awards allows us to combine two of our greatest strengths: the excellence of our agri-livestock sector and the tourist appeal of our city.” He also emphasized the work of farmers, producers, and entrepreneurs who have contributed to the prestige of a sustainable production model and to positioning the municipality as a benchmark in the sector.
In her speech during the gala, the Secretary of State at the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, Begoña García Bernal, stated that “Spain holds undeniable leadership in Europe and worldwide as an agri-food producer and exporter. The pork sector is a clear example of this, as our country ranks third in the world in production. The Government of Spain is fully committed to the professionals in this sector, a commitment reflected in trade agreements promoted in recent years. We will continue working to support a strategic activity for the present and future of our agri-food system.”
For her part, the Director General of Agriculture and Livestock, Rosa Altisent, highlighted the strategic contribution of the pork sector to the economy, employment, and territorial cohesion, reiterating the Government’s support for the sector as a whole, and stating that “we will continue working alongside it, supporting it in present and future challenges and strengthening its competitiveness and sustainability.”
For the director of ASICI, Jesús Pérez, the Porc d’Or Awards are “much more than a gala: they are a meeting point to share pride in the sector, celebrate achievements, and highlight the work of farmers, technicians, and companies that, with passion, professionalism, and responsibility, contribute to the future of the Iberian sector.” He also stressed that the gala is “a shared celebration of everything we are and everything we can still become.”
Rafael Pedrazuela, from Ceva Animal Health, stated that his organization maintains its commitment to supporting the pork sector by promoting initiatives that drive prevention, biosecurity, and the responsible use of health tools within a comprehensive vision of health. He also reaffirmed his commitment to the development of increasingly preventive, sustainable pork production aligned with the One Health concept.
The Director General of IRTA, Josep Usall, highlighted that “these awards recognize the work of farmers and technical teams who, day after day, contribute to the continuous improvement of the sector.” He also stated that “at IRTA we remain committed to generating knowledge and transferring innovation to address the major challenges facing the sector, from sustainability and animal welfare to competitiveness and productive efficiency. We congratulate all the awarded and finalist farms, which represent the example of a dynamic, committed sector prepared to successfully face future challenges.”
For her part, Llibertat Tusell, representative of BDporc and head of IRTA’s genetics and animal improvement program, emphasized that “for us, it is a source of pride to manage BDporc, the technical-productive database that underpins these awards, which are a recognition of the good practices and excellence of Iberian farmers.
In the production categories, the awards were distributed among different farms in the provinces of Salamanca, Valladolid, Segovia, Badajoz and Soria.
In the 1st category (farms with up to 375 sows), the Gold Award for Numerical Productivity and the Gold Award for Farrowing Rate went to Ángel Sahagún Sánchez, from Agrocesa – Grupo Vall Companys. The Gold Award for Longevity was given to Expordi, from Explotaciones Porcinas Díaz.
In the 2nd category (farms with between 376 and 900 sows), Covel Boceguillas, from Agrocesa – Grupo Vall Companys, obtained Gold in both Numerical Productivity and Farrowing Rate. Cañada de Abajo, from Ibéricos Puros de Extremadura, was awarded the Gold in Longevity.
In the 3rd category (farms with more than 900 sows), La Cherneca, from Grupo Santana Hernández, received the Gold in Numerical Productivity. The Gold Award for Farrowing Rate went to Ibéricos Valcorba, from ICPOR Soria SL, while the Gold Award for Longevity was awarded to Dehesa Solobreña, from Dehesa Solobreña SL.
Beyond the category awards, four special prizes were presented, recognizing different strategic areas for the future of the Iberian pork sector.
As a major new feature of this 10th edition, the ASICI Porc d’Or Iberian Award for Excellence in Acorn-Fed Iberian Production was introduced, recognizing the management of the montanera and the dehesa through an objective, data-based evaluation system. In the Red Label category, the award went to La Encinosa, from Agropecuaria La Encinosa CB (Badajoz), for developing an efficient and sustainable production model that combines productivity, quality, and responsible use of dehesa resources. In the Black Label category, the prize was awarded to Las Cántaras, owned by Margarita Romero Cárdenas (Seville), highlighting its excellent management of acorn-fed Iberian pigs, its commitment to animal welfare and traceability, and its dedication to generational renewal and the transfer of farming knowledge.
The CEVA Animal Health Porc d’Or Iberian One Health Award went to El Ladrillar, from Cuarte SL–UBE Crianza Ibérica SL (Córdoba). The jury particularly valued the close collaboration between its veterinary and farming teams, good working conditions, implemented biosecurity measures, and the excellent health status of the farm, which has enabled a significant reduction in antibiotic use while also improving animal welfare.
The MAPA Porc d’Or Iberian Sustainability Award, granted by the Spanish Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, was awarded to Cebaderos del Sur, from Cebaderos del Sur SL (Badajoz). The jury highlighted its comprehensive sustainability model based on the circular economy, including feed produced from its own cereals and the use of manure as fertilizer, as well as its high standards in biosecurity, animal welfare, and farm management.
Finally, the most prestigious award of the night, the Porc d’Or Iberian Diamond Award, was presented to Granja La Mejorada, from Agrocesa – Grupo Vall Companys (Valladolid), in recognition of the farm’s overall excellence. The jury emphasized the quality of animal management and monitoring, its consistently excellent production results over time, the modernization of its facilities, and the professionalism and stability of its workforce.
The Porc d’Or Iberian Awards are organized by IRTA, with ASICI as co-organizer and CEVA Animal Health as the main partner, and are supported by the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (MAPA) and ANPROGAPOR. The organization also expresses its gratitude to the City Council of Jerez de los Caballeros, co-organizer for 2026, as the host of the gala for this 10th edition.
This edition has also been made possible thanks to the commitment of the premium sponsoring companies: Farm Faes, IFR, OPP Group, Sabseg Banasegur and Semen Cardona. Likewise, this edition’s sponsors (AIM Extremadura, Exafan, Provimi, Mapfre, Rotecna and Trouw Nutrition) have actively contributed to the success of the event. In addition, Caja Rural Extremadura participated as special sponsor for 2026.
The Porc d’Or Awards, organized by IRTA, are based on the technical foundation of BDporc, the reference platform for analyzing pig production performance in Spain. Managed by IRTA, this tool systematically collects and analyzes objective, comparable, and validated information from farms, becoming a key element for the continuous improvement of the sector and its decision-making processes. The awards are granted by a jury composed of experts from the industry, livestock research, and public administration, based on the analysis of technical-production data for the year 2025. Established as one of the leading annual events in the agri-food sector, the Porc d’Or Awards gala continues to highlight the work of farmers and reinforce the sector’s commitment to excellence, sustainability, and innovation.
