The shipment, delivered by air, originated in Canada and was destined to populate a brand new farm constructed in Uiseong province, 290 km southeast of Seoul.

The farm is situated in a remote mountainous location in order to ensure the longterm health of the herd, and features a two-storey design for the breed-to-wean production phases.

Commenting on the expansion Bongjae Lee, President of PIC Korea, said: "The development of additional high health production capacity reflects increasing demand for PIC breeding stock.

This has been achieved by a combination of the demonstrably superior performance of PIC genetics on customer farms and a revised product portfolio aligned to the requirements of the Korean market which places a high premium on meat quality.

"As an example, one of our customers has just reported an average of 29.2 piglets weaned per year from 730 sows! We have also added resources to enhance the availability and quality of services offered to the industry."