A rule with very noble objectives...
The current Royal Decree 04 /2014 intended with its publication some clear objectives: Improvement of racial purity, better and greater control of pigs in montanera, improve the quality of Iberian fattening products by regulating both the facilities and the breeding and handling of animals, protection and support for extensive production systems linked to the dehesa, improved traceability through seals, as well as a regulation of labeling as there are difficulties with the acceptance and knowledge of the products by consumers as a result of an excessive variety of mentions in the labeling that can lead to confusion.
This standard has meant a before and after, it has allowed us to consolidate some of the aspects that it intended and has allowed us to position the sector internationally. It has made such an emblematic animal as the acorn-fed Iberian pig one of the main symbols of the agri-food culture of our country. Likewise, thanks to this standard, the problems of fraud in livestock farming have been reduced, although there is still much to be done, especially in terms of controls at industry level and distribution channels.
...But with side effects.
As a result, many of our larger farms have not only developed an excellent livestock farming model, but have also been able to devote efforts to other necessary activities in a global economy, such as innovation or the integration of the different stages of the value chain, thus improving their position vis-à-vis the major players in food distribution.
In other words, thanks to it, progress has been made in aspects such as genetic improvement, feeding, handling, animal welfare... although these advances have been insufficient in the protection of the dehesa and its economic viability, since the traditional fattening of purebred Iberian pigs with feed supplemented with natural resources typical of this ecosystem has practically disappeared. Even so, it is possible to say that this standard has responded to the demands of consumers who require a less expensive, more homogeneous product in greater quantity.
This boom in the sector has also generated new markets for both fresh meats and sausages, thus creating a growing demand that needs to be supplied in order not to lose all that added value that can revert to part of our livestock sector, favoring its development. In this sense, it is only necessary to strengthen the support to extensive productions, linked to the pasture to improve rural development and demographic anchorage in the most depopulated and fragile -environmentally speaking- parts of our nation.
We firmly believe that in this matter of the modification of the Quality Standard there are not two camps -intensivists and traditional- but that each and every type of product is complementary.
Thus, in order to continue this line of growth and development , we believe that it is important to provide this standard with the same dynamism that our sector has been experiencing in recent times, taking the necessary steps to consolidate it. That is, adapting it to the current productive reality, improving the protection and sustainability of the dehesa, as well as responding to the needs and desires of consumers who make up the current market.
We firmly believe that in this matter of modifying the Quality Standard there are not two sides -intensive and traditional- but that each and every type of product is complementary. If higher quality productions are protected, differentiated and protected, a complementary supply structure could be generated that would allow us to better position ourselves in a global and diverse market.
Our 3 proposals for improvement.
For this reason, the points that we currently consider that we need to work on are three in particular: first, the age of slaughter of intensive fattening pigs; second, the protection of acorn-fed Iberian pigs; and third, a specific and differentiating definition of field fattening .
These needs for deepening and further definition arise as a consequence of a somewhat ambiguous application, far from the productive reality of the intensive regime and certainly lax with regard to traditional extensive regime farms.
It is important to point out that, in our opinion, it is not possible to address only one of the three points mentioned above, since they are all inextricably linked and interrelated, and any improvement must address all of them, in order to achieve the complementary supply structure that would be so beneficial for the sector as a whole.
In relation to the first point, fattening, it should be noted that after the introduction of the Stud Book of Duroc males and the genetic improvements developed in recent years, the ages at which the slaughter weights currently established by the standard are reached are a major problem for the consumer market characterized by penalizing the size of large pieces. It is an obvious fact that currently at 8 months of age these animals have the required weight to enter slaughter, complying with the rest of the quality requirements set by both large distributors and the final consumer of mid-range Iberian products.
Second, in relation to the protection of the acorn-fed Iberian pig, the emblematic and flagship product of our sector, we consider it essential to establish the strictest possible controls, in accordance with the highest quality segment in which this food is framed. Controls that guarantee without any doubt that the quality standard is complied with in all its aspects, covering from the production of the raw material, the subsequent processing to the marketing to the final consumers, this last aspect neglected in the standard. In short, controls that ensure a peaceful and quiet existence of this product with others of lower segments, without giving room for fraud or deception by farmers, industrialists and marketers whose activities can be described as dishonest.
In this sense, we believe that both technological innovation and the joint improvement of stockbreeders and inspection bodies must be a fundamental mechanism for action in order to position this product as the spearhead of a national tradition that goes back centuries. The consequence of this increased demand will result in an increase in the added value of the products and, therefore, in the conservation of the dehesa and the protection of consumers. We cannot forget that the Iberian acorn-fed pig is a national symbol, a fundamental element of our country brand and, as such, we must ensure its incomparable quality and the exclusivity of its production.
Third and lastly, with respect to field fattening, we are aware of the difficulty in defining this product, since it is an intermediate step between intensive and extensive livestock farming, and at the same time it is a fundamental mechanism for the viability of small farms, since it allows productive complementarity and diversification and, consequently, their sustainability. Today there are two products labeled in the same way that have nothing to do with each other; on the one hand, there are the field fattened pigs from acorn disqualifications (what would be the old recebo) and on the other hand, the field fattened pigs that are produced for this purpose throughout the year in large farms. Our position with respect to this product is to work together with the entire sector to define the characteristic elements of a good field fattening animal that will give rise to a product differentiated from acorn-fed Iberian pigs and intensive fattening pigs. That is, to create an intermediate section or a niche product that responds to very specific consumption models, allowing us to penetrate markets where perhaps the limited production of acorn-fed Iberian pork cannot reach and that tries to satisfy the needs of those consumers who are committed to concepts such as animal welfare, functional foods, environmental sustainability, etc.
To move forward is to visualize the points of agreement.
In conclusion, at Ibercom we are convinced that it is possible to create a meeting point between the needs of the intensive and extensive sector, consumers and producers, tradition and innovation, without renouncing in any case to the obligations and rights that come with having a product of such quality and prestige as the one we currently manage. A coordinated effort and a better representation within the interlocution bodies would undoubtedly be the best strategy to consolidate a high quality food product.
All this in order to prevent us from losing the opportunity for development provided by the international food market -both daily and exclusive products- because of personalities and inherited quarrels (and in many cases with forgotten origins).
If we are not able to reach points of agreement, a very significant percentage of the actors that make up the current sector will have to look for alternatives outside the Quality Standard, which in the medium-term future will have a negative impact on all of us. It is a question of will and ours is and will always be to help to build.
Ibercom, Iberian pig cooperative founded in 1999, and recognized by MAPAMA in January 2017 as a Priority Associative Entity, was initiated by traditional farmers of the sector and in recent years has incorporated large intensive producers of the same, bringing together all types of Iberian pig production. During the current year 2018, Ibercom will market more than 300,000 Iberian pigs with a turnover of more than 100 million €.
