[Asia Exclusive] 'Smart Farm' Pigs Escaping Thirst, Hunger, and Malnutrition... The Lifeline for Handon

Korean Livestock Industry Has Lower Cost Competitiveness Compared to Advanced Countries but Must Enhance Competitiveness Through Technology
'Korean-style' Smart Pigsty by Jeil Jongchuk... Odor, Pollution, Disease-Free Motto "Realizing Animal Welfare"
ICT and Livestock Industry Converge in Smart Farm as the Way Forward for Korean Pork... Development of Integrated Farm Data Platform

Lee Beom-gwon, Senior General Manager of Seonjin, is being interviewed by Asia Economy on May 20. / Photo by Moon Ho-nam munonam@

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Seon-ae] "Pork is a system. The way to increase the consumption of Handon (domestic pork) is to enhance the quality competitiveness of Handon through a perfectly established system that consumers can trust and seek out."

On the 20th of last month, at the headquarters of Seonjin located in Dunchon-dong, Seoul, I met with Lee Beom-kwon, the General Manager of Seonjin, who raised the issue of the declining competitiveness of the Korean livestock industry. He wore a bitter expression, acknowledging that catching up with advanced livestock countries is not easy in reality, but he emphasized firmly and seriously that there is a solution. His conviction is that to strengthen competitiveness, it is necessary to introduce and manage leading technologies in all areas from breeding to slaughter and distribution. He summarized the solution in one phrase: 'the convergence of ICT (Information and Communication Technology) and livestock industry.'

Seonjin, a livestock affiliate of Harim Group, is a representative Korean livestock food company familiar to consumers as 'Seonjin Pork.' It would be a mistake to think of it simply as pork. When you delve into the company, its substance and business portfolio are surprisingly solid. Starting pig farming in 1973, it has led all sectors of the domestic livestock industry for 47 years, including feed industry, pork meat business, and meat processing business. Especially since 1997, it expanded its scope to global business ahead of the saturated domestic market, currently operating in the Philippines, China, Vietnam, Myanmar, and India. The large world map placed directly in front of General Manager Lee’s office vividly conveyed Seonjin’s commitment to its global vision. It also boasts solid sales. After surpassing 1 trillion won in sales for the first time in 2014, it achieved 1 trillion won in sales for six consecutive years until 2019. Wearing a jumper clearly marked with the Seonjin logo, General Manager Lee was reserved in words, saying that Seonjin’s competitiveness cannot be proven by numbers (sales performance) alone, but his smile conveyed pride. Asia Economy met with General Manager Lee to hear about Seonjin’s business vision, solutions for Handon quality competitiveness, and the future of the Korean livestock industry.

- You mentioned the decline in competitiveness of the Korean livestock industry. What is the problem?

◆ I think the biggest problem is the low cost competitiveness compared to Europe and other advanced livestock countries. However, it is not easy to catch up with global advanced livestock countries that have a 'basic framework' different from ours, such as ultra-large-scale livestock environments and distribution using plains much larger than the territory of Korea, and systematic livestock know-how cultivated over a long period. Even with the same technology and facilities, cost differences are inevitable.

- Then, what is the way to raise the competitiveness of the Korean livestock industry and livestock products?

◆ The way we can do this is to create smart farms by converging ICT and smart fields with the livestock industry. Since 2012, Seonjin has been operating the 'Jeil Jongchuk' farm, the founding farm of Seonjin, which established the basic design of the 'Korean-style smart pigsty.' Jeil Jongchuk farm is a pig farm established in 1974. It was a large-scale farm established with the purpose of elevating the small-scale domestic pig farming, which was at the level of a side business for farmers at the time, to a national food industry. It has a total area of 85,000 pyeong (approx. 280,000 m²) and can raise 16,000 pigs. In 2011, during the nationwide foot-and-mouth disease outbreak, Jeil Jongchuk decided to invest in introducing an advanced pig farming system that is disease-resistant and efficient instead of quickly restarting the farm, and began remodeling the pigsty used for over 40 years. After eight months of remodeling, the newly built Jeil Jongchuk, which reopened in 2012, adopted the motto of a '3-no (無)' farm?no odor, no pollution, no disease?and incorporated the latest technology into the farm. It also realizes animal welfare through smart farm operation.

Lee Beom-gwon, Senior General Manager of Seonjin, is being interviewed by Asia Economy on May 20. / Photo by Moon Ho-nam munonam@

- Specifically, how do you implement animal welfare?

◆ According to the animal welfare certification standards for pig farms, all pigs must be raised in group housing, and confinement in stalls is prohibited. However, for the stability of pregnant sows and prevention of miscarriage, they may be kept in stalls from mating or artificial insemination until four weeks. At Jeil Jongchuk, stall housing was excluded from all breeding processes except for the minimum period of 3 to 4 weeks for sow safety, and group housing providing pigs with ample activity space is practiced. Like carnivores, pigs have no sweat glands and are vulnerable to heat, cold, and humidity changes. The reason why pig mortality rates surge in hot summers is the same. Moreover, if the environment soiled by manure is not regularly cleaned, ammonia concentration increases, harming pig health. Jeil Jongchuk has established separate standards to maintain a comfortable pigsty environment, including daily temperature and humidity control, to ensure pigs do not suffer from such environmental changes. This meticulous management plays an important role in changes in farm performance, including animal welfare. Also, pigs are basically sensitive and delicate animals. If their natural habits are forcibly prohibited or their behavior restricted, they are prone to stress and, in severe cases, depression and abnormal behavior. To prevent this, Jeil Jongchuk installed play equipment that allows pigs to naturally perform behaviors such as molar grinding, and completely excluded threatening farming tools such as electric prods and sticks.

- It must not be easy to create an animal welfare farm.

◆ Building a smart farm requires a lot of costs. It requires at least 15% more investment than building a general farm. However, the use of ICT is not an option but a necessity to realize animal welfare. Viewing livestock farming with existing methods or practices is a major obstacle to realizing the value of animal welfare. Especially in sow group housing, the individual feeding system is the biggest example. The first item in the animal welfare certification standards is 'freedom from thirst, hunger, and malnutrition.' Basically, nutritional imbalance harms livestock health and causes stress, so animal welfare certification requires proper feed and sufficient water supply as a principle. However, it is difficult to provide appropriate nutrition to each individual sow in a group housing environment. To solve this problem, Jeil Jongchuk attaches RFID chips to each pig’s ear, and the system transmits reports on individual feed intake and health status to a central computer. Through this, even in a group housing environment, feed can be provided according to each pig’s condition, and quick action can be taken if health issues arise.

- Animal welfare pork has not really become popular. What is the reason?

◆ Animal welfare livestock product certification was first introduced in 2012, and Jeil Jongchuk obtained animal welfare farm certification last November. However, the reason animal welfare pork brands have not been visible is due to the stringent certification procedures. Animal welfare livestock product certification is a concept that encompasses animal welfare farm certification. First, the farm must obtain animal welfare certification, and due to the sensitivity of pigs to environmental changes, the certification standards for processes such as transport and slaughter are even stricter. The fact that there are fewer than five slaughterhouses certified also makes the distribution of animal welfare pork difficult. Because of this situation, Jeil Jongchuk was able to launch the animal welfare brand meat 'Seonjin Pork Handon Bareun Farm' only 10 months after farm certification.

- What are the strengths of Seonjin pork, and why did you change the BI?

◆ 'Seonjin Pork' is the first domestic pork brand launched in 1992. It has maintained an outstanding record of never missing certification from the Consumer Citizens’ Organization’s excellent livestock product brand certification for 15 years since the first year of introduction. Among all domestic pork brands, only three brands have this record, and it is the only one among private brands. After 10 years, the BI (Brand Identity) was changed to 'Seonjin Pork Handon,' combining Handon with Seonjin Pork. This decision was made to support Handon farms currently facing many difficulties as a representative Korean brand pork. Under the motto 'Pork is also a system,' Seonjin has improved breeding stock to produce pork that best suits Korean tastes, standardized feed and feeding management accordingly, and plans to continue realizing the brand philosophy of 'consistent taste anytime, anywhere.'

- Are there any technological developments you are preparing for the advancement of the livestock industry?

◆ We are focusing on creating a nationwide 'farm data integration platform' by applying big data technology. Once the platform system is established, more precise management will be possible, bringing various positive effects. Previously, based on 45 years of pig farming know-how, Seonjin developed the pig farm management program 'Smart Pig Farm.' The livestock industry is also experiencing a new wave of the 4th Industrial Revolution. Seonjin plans to concentrate its capabilities on the livestock ICT business that will lead innovation in the livestock industry based on existing know-how, and to strengthen Handon competitiveness, it will build a modern food complex in Anseong, Gyeonggi Province, combining meat processing and distribution.