Farm visit: A “35-hour sow” for France’s labour market

Nicolas Gigou is a sow producer in central France, producing parent stock for commercial farms. He recently chose to repopulate his houses with Special Pathogen Free (SPF) grandparent stock, with great results. He says, “Working with these animals is very relaxing.” The way of breeding pigs has changed considerably on Nicolas Gigou’s breeding facility. Just over 2 years ago, the breeder, located in France’s Centre-Val de Loire region, opted for a total depop-repop as he worked togethe