The list prepared by Genesus offers the top swine producers representing about 20 percent of the global production.
By Andrew Joseph, Farms.com
For the past six years, Genesus has been identifying the World Mega Producer companies—those operations with 100,000 sows or more.
Genesus calls itself the world’s largest independent producer of high-health registered purebred swine in the world, owning over 80 percent of all registered purebred breeding stock in Canada. Its sole focus is non-GMO swine genetic improvement built on factors that improves its customers' profitability in sow reproduction, feed intake and growth performance, natural disease challenges resistance, as well as carcass and meat quality.
The global swine industry has undergone immense changes and cycles.
North American producers have seen losses for nearly two years, with little to no profitability gains, which has caused herds to shrink.
In Europe, sow herd size has also reduced dramatically through financial losses and has seen fairly high prices for over a year.
China has seen loss after loss and has observed prices rising much higher than where they once were entering the profitability area.
With such dramatic financial losses for both the Chinese and North American swine industries occurring in 2023, experts feel that the smaller existing herds will create an opportunity for greater profitability over the next few months.
This year's Genesus World Mega Producer list compromised 49 companies in 10 different countries and three other World Mega Management Companies.
Three new entries have joined this year's list, including the first-ever entries of companies from Mexico and Vietnam.
China's Muyuan Foodstuff Co., Ltd. saw the largest overall increase in sow holdings with a 2023 increase of 315,000 over 2022. It is also #1 on the Genesus list.
Fujian Aonong Group, #25 on the list, is also from China, but saw the largest decline in sow numbers, decreasing by 160,000 head from 2022 to 2023.
Also of note, is that of these top 52 businesses, they saw an overall increase of 400,977 sows between 2022 and 2023--and that's even with Fujian Aonong's reported loss of 160,000 head, #18's Zhengbang Group losing 150,000, and #26's Yangxiang also dropping 150,000 sows.
These top companies process over 16 million reported sows, which represent about 20 percent of all sow production on the planet. Genesus has supplied swine genetics to nearly half of all the companies on this year's World Mega Producer list.
2024 MEGA Producer List
| Rank | Producer | Headquarters | 2023 # of Sows | 2022 # of Sows | Difference 2023 vs 2022 |
| 1 | Muyuan Foodstuff Co., Ltd. | China | 3,130,000 | 2,815,000 | +315,000 |
| 2 | Wens Food Group Co., Ltd. | China | 1,570,000 | 1,400,000 | +170,000 |
| 3 | Charoen Pokphand (CP) Foods | Thailand | 1,115,000 | 1,115,000 | 0 |
| 4 | New Hope | China | 820,000 | 850,000 | -30,000 |
| 5 | Smithfield Foods/WH Group | USA | 810,000 | 885,000 | -75,000 |
| 6 | Twins Group | China | 550,000 | 380,000 | +170,000 |
| 7 | JBS USA - Seara Foods | USA-Brazil | 531,358 | 538,000 | - 6,642 |
| 8 | Triumph Foods: Christensen Farms (140,000 sows)
The Hanor Co. (82,500 sows)
Allied Producers’ Co-op(67,565 sows)
Eichelberger Farms (62,500 sows)
New Fashion Pork (57,000 sows) | USA | 409,565 | 403,304 | +6,261 |
| 9 | BRF S.A. | Brazil | 340,000 | 397,825 | -57,825 |
| 10 | Seaboard Foods | USA | 336,000 | 364,000 | -28,000 |
| 11 | Sichuan Dekon Group | China | 333,200 | 450,000 | -116,800 |
| 12 | Techbank | China | 320,000 | 300,000 | +20,000 |
| 13 | Vall Companys Group | Spain | 300,000 | 260,000 | +40,000 |
| 14 | Miratorg | Russia | 280,000 | 280,000 | 0 |
| 15 | Aurora Alimentos | Brazil | 263,000 | 263,000 | 0 |
| 16 | COFCO Group | China | 250,000 | 220,000 | +30,000 |
| 17 | Iowa Select Farms | USA | 250,000 | 250,000 | 0 |
| 18 | Zhengbang Group | China | 200,000 | 350,000 | -150,000 |
| 19 | Frimesa Cooperativa Central | Brazil | 180,000 | 178,150 | +1,850 |
| 20 | Prestage Farms | USA | 175,000 | 180,000 | -5,000 |
| 21 | Elephant | China | 170,000 | 170,000 | 0 |
| 22 | Costa Food Group | Spain | 160,000 | 155,000 | +5,000 |
| 23 | Guangxi Guiken Animal Husbandry Co., Ltd | China | 157,000 | 125,000 | 32,000 |
| 24 | Da Bei Nong | China | 153,100 | 180,000 | -26,900 |
| 25 | Fujian Aonong Group | China | 150,000 | 310,000 | -160,000 |
| 26 | Yangxiang | China | 150,000 | 300,000 | -150,000 |
| 27 | Betagro | Thailand | 150,000 | 150,000 | 0 |
| 28 | CJ Group | South Korea | 144,000 | 137,000 | +7,000 |
| 29 | Christensen Farms | USA | 140,000 | 140,000 | 0 |
| 30 | Tecon Biology | China | 140,000 | 140,000 | 0 |
| 31 | Agrosuper | Chile | 136,000 | 136,000 | 0 |
| 32 | The Maschoffs | USA | 135,000 | 150,000 | -15,000 |
| 33 | Guangdong Haid Group | China | 128,000 | 150,000 | -22,000 |
| 34 | Rusagro | Russia | 126,000 | 124,000 | +2,000 |
| 35 | Guangxi Liyuan Group | China | 120,000 | 100,000 | +20,000 |
| 36 | Bachoco | Mexico | 120,000 | New Entry | n/a |
| 37 | Greenfeed Vietnam Corporation | Vietnam | 116,000 | New Entry | n/a |
| 38 | Clemens – Country View Family Farms | USA | 115,421 | 105,000 | 10,421 |
| 39 | Sibagro | Russia | 110,000 | 110,000 | 0 |
| 40 | Giantstar | China | 110,000 | 110,000 | 0 |
| 41 | New Wellful | China | 110,000 | 105,000 | +5,000 |
| 42 | Kingkey Smart Agri | China | 108,000 | 108,000 | 0 |
| 43 | Grupo Jorge | Spain | 105,000 | 105,000 | 0 |
| 44 | Tang Ren Shen (TRS) Group | China | 100,000 | 100,000 | 0 |
| 45 | Sichuan TechLex Group | China | 100,000 | 100,000 | 0 |
| 46 | Huatong Shares | China | 100,000 | 100,000 | 0 |
| 47 | Guandong TINOO | China | 100,000 | 100,000 | 0 |
| 48 | Wuhan Golden Dragon | China | 100,000 | 100,000 | 0 |
| 49 | Shennong Group | China | 100,000 | New Entry | n/a |
| | World Mega Management Companies | | | | |
| 1 | Pipestone Management | USA | 390,682 | 330,070 | +60,612 |
| 2 | Carthage System | USA | 180,400 | 180,400 | 0 |
| 3 | AMVC Management Services | USA | 168,000 | 155,000 | +13,000 |
| | TOTAL | | 16,555,726 | 16,154,749 | +400,977 |
For information about Genesus, visit www.genesus.com/about/