Labour on the GreenFeed facilities With regard to labour, Mr Zoerb says, “Not that long ago, la- bour was plentiful, as we could pay staff more than the rates other local farmers were offering. Industrialisation in the cities attracted labour away from rural areas plus on the large pig units staff live on-site, so they never get ‘away from the job’, even when not working. The social clock is ticking and staff can be difficult to retain. Hence we are looking to Cambodia and Myanmar for staff.” Just like in Europe and Northern America, mechanisation is in- creasing to reduce the mundane aspects of looking after pigs. About 90% of feed is fed dry with bulk delivery, gradually replacing bagged feed.


Motivated staff on pig farms is vital GreenFeed realises that having keen motivated staff is vital in order to maximise output and profitability. To this end the company has a well-developed training programme, with staff being taught husbandry skills in a ‘hands-on’ situation. Experts are brought in when required to teach more advanced procedures. Contrary to farm managers of the past, GreenFeed teaches its potential leaders people management techniques. The company pays considerable importance to team building and sports competitions are used to encourage employee bonding and team spirit. The company also produces an attractive, colourful monthly publication, called GreenFeed News. It contains relevant infor- mation about company trends and developments. Further- more it contains league tables of the various GreenFeed units, comparing units by output which encourages competitiveness between the various company farms.


GreenFeed and feeding regulations Vietnamese consumers are now becoming increasingly con- cerned about how their food is produced. The Vietnamese gov- ernment has banned antibiotic growth promoters and as a company GreenFeed does not use high levels of zinc oxide post-weaning. Bone meal is used as a feed ingredient but meat meal is not fed, neither is plasma, due to biosecurity risks.


Environmental concerns Many large GreenFeed farms have covered lagoons. Biogas powered engines are powering generators, with the electrici- ty powering fans, heat pads, lamps etc. Worms are used to convert manure into saleable fertiliser with the worms being used as a protein source.


Marketing the pig meat To maximise profit, GreenFeed is selling its meat under its own brand label, called Wyn Pork. In Ho Chi Minh City, pork prod- ucts are sold in convenience stores – quite a step forward from open air wet markets. Large pictures of the different cuts are displayed inside the Wyn shops and customers can simply order by quoting a product number. The same cuts are also pictured in a glossy high quality brochure. The cuts can then be ordered online, after which they will be delivered by motorcycle. Cutting out middlemen, GreenFeed is opening its own abat- toir this summer in Ho Chi Minh City. It will be approved for exports and will initially operate on the basis of three shifts, each of 6 hours. If this venture proves successful, slaughter throughput will be increased.


Thanks to Olmix for making this article possible. ▶ PIG PROGRESS | Volume 34, No. 5, 2018 13


Aerial overview of a GreenFeed facility.


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