The sires standing to AI are all of SPF (Specific Pathogen Free) health status and have high minimum standards of performance.

* "AI is a very quick route to superior improvement."

Matthew Curtis, ACMC's managing director

The new brands are Vantage Ultra (replacing the FC - First Choice), the Vantage Extreme (replacing the EC - Extreme Conformation), Vantage Tradition (replacing the LW - Large White) and the Vantage Refine (replacing the MQ - Meat Quality). The Meidam and Volante damline boars (for the production of parent gilts) retain the same names.

"With the high price of cereals looking set to continue in the foreseeable future, pig producers need to get the best value possible out of every tonne of feed they purchase through improved feed conversion, growth rate and grading. Our new range of sires have been developed to help them do just that," commented Matthew Curtis, ACMC's managing director.

"AI is a very quick route to superior improvement. If feed conversion can be improved by just 0.1 then returns are improved by £2 per pig sold, or £20,000 for a 500-sow herd selling 20 pigs per sow a year."

The whole operation - health, housing and semen collection and processing - at ACMC's 80-boar 'GeneBank' AI stud near Hull, is independently audited by fully-qualified vets in addition to undergoing national statutory checks. Semen is routinely exported to mainland Europe and Asia.