On November 29, IRTA will award the Porc d’Or de Capa Blanca Awards to recognize companies in the pork sector that stand out for improving the efficiency and quality of their production.
During the gala, initiatives in sustainability and animal health will be awarded with special prizes, such as the One Health Award and the Sustainability Award, in addition to the prestigious Porc d’Or with Diamond.
The gala of the 31st edition of the Porc d’Or de Capa Blanca Awards will be held on November 29th at the Auditorio de Zaragoza from 7:00 pm.
This event, which will bring together more than 1,000 professionals from the pork sector, is a unique opportunity to recognize the best practices in pig production and promote continuous improvement in the efficiency and quality of the sector.
It will also allow attendees to exchange ideas and opinions on the industry’s achievements.
The Porc d’Or Awards, organized by the Institut de Recerca i Tecnologia Agroalimentàries (IRTA), are a benchmark in the field of pig production in Spain, highlighting excellence and innovation in the sector.
This year the gala returns to Aragon after the successful 2021 edition in Huesca, reaffirming its prestige and consolidation after more than three decades of recognizing the effort and professionalism of pig farms.
Registration to participate in the gala will be available soon through the BDporc website, the Pig Reference Data Bank.
This year’s edition has the support of various sponsors, including Ceva Salud Animal as the main partner, together with the Interprofesional del Porcino de Capa Blanca (Interporc), which has accompanied the Porc d’Or since its inception.
Also joining the event are various premium sponsors such as Farm Faes, IFR Group, OPP Group, Banasegur and Semen Cardona, who contribute to the success and relevance of these awards in the sector.
Selection of nominees and winners of the Porc d’Or White Coat Awards 2024
On September 3, an interdisciplinary jury met at the IRTA Fruitcentre headquarters in Lleida to determine the nominated and awarded farms, as well as to set the visits to the farms with nominations for special awards. The selection is based on rigorous criteria based on the regulations of the awards, which evaluate the reliability of the information analyzed, as well as different parameters related to health, animal welfare and respect for the environment. The 31st edition has a jury made up of personalities from the swine sector, from both the public and private sectors. Among them are José Luis Agüero, deputy director general of the Subdirectorate General of Livestock and Hunting Productions of the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries (MAPA), accompanied by his team: Pablo Bernardos, deputy assistant director general; Jesús Salas, head of the swine area; and Ruth Morales, head of service. From the Department of Agriculture, Livestock, Fisheries and Food of the Generalitat de Catalunya, Mercè Soler, deputy director general of Livestock; and Montserrat Alamós, head of the Livestock Management Service. Representing the National Association of Pig Producers (Anprogapor) is Miguel Ángel Higuera, its director, while the National Association of Selected Pig Breeders (ANPS) is represented by its secretary, Adoración Llorente. Roger Galofré, a veterinarian specializing in new technologies, represents CEVA Salud Animal, and IRTA is represented by Raquel Quintanilla, head of the Genetics and Animal Breeding program; Carles Vilalta, IRTA CreSA researcher; Llibertat Tusell, secretary of the jury and researcher in the Genetics and Animal Breeding program; and Núria Alòs, computer specialist in databases of the same program. In addition, the jury has the experience of María Aparicio, director at Nosia Life Sciences International, SL. and deputy director at Animal Data Analytics, SL., as well as Carmen Cía, content editor at 333, and Pedro López, director of 333 Academy. Finally, in this new edition, the jury has three new members who join the team thanks to their experience and professional background. The new additions are Francisco Javier Martínez Lobo, associate professor in the Department of Animal Science at the University of Lleida (UdL); Cinta Prieto Suárez, professor in the Department of Animal Health at the Complutense University of Madrid (UCM); and Antonio Vela Bello, independent consultant and co-founder of Thinkinpig SL.
Special recognition for sustainability and health
In this 31st edition, awards such as the CEVA Animal Health One Health Award that promotes a comprehensive approach to health on pig farms stand out.
In addition, it seeks to recognize the joint work of farmers and veterinarians, who implement innovative measures on their farms to improve animal health.
In addition, two special awards stand out, such as the Sustainability Award granted by the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, which recognizes best practices in health, animal welfare and environment.
The Porc d’Or with Diamond will also be awarded, the highest award for the best white-coat pig farm, based on production results, overall management and handling, complying with health, zootechnical and animal welfare standards.
During the gala, the traditional awards will be presented to recognize longevity, numerical productivity and farrowing rate, rewarding the best farms in four categories: from 10 to 500 breeders, from 500 to 1,000 breeders, from 1,000 to 2,000 breeders and more than 2,000 breeders.
The organization also seeks to recognize the efforts of farmers in terms of productivity and fundamental aspects such as animal welfare, health and the environment.
For this reason, the Porc d’Or Lactation Management Award has been introduced, one of the novelties for 2023.
The aim of this award is to reward those reproductively efficient farms that stand out for their high piglet survival rate during lactation and for the implementation of good management practices in maternity wards.
The awarded farms will be those that obtain the highest piglet survival value among all the participating farms and that present a numerical productivity (number of weaned piglets per productive sow per year) above the median of their category.
