The Deputy for Energy, Environment, Hunting and Pests of the Provincial Council of Huelva, Arturo Alpresa, attended this Tuesday the delivery ceremony of 76 Iberian pig breeders from the Huerto Ramírez Agricultural and Livestock Research Center (CIAG). This initiative is part of the strategy that the provincial institution has been promoting for more than thirty years to reinforce the genetic quality of Huelva's livestock, facilitating access for field professionals to animals with high genetic value.
As explained by the provincial institution in a press release, the allocated animals respond to 36 applications registered by farmers from different parts of the province. They are specimens of the Torbiscal, Silvela, Negro Lampiño, Retinto del Andévalo, Villalón, and Manchado de Jabugo varieties, which meet all the morphological and genetic conditions required to ensure the pure reproduction of the Iberian breed.
At seven months of age, the 76 breeders are registered in the Definitive Register of the Iberian Breed Genealogical Book, managed by Aeceriber. During the delivery, Arturo Alpresa stressed that "genetic improvement is an essential piece for increasing the competitiveness of livestock farms and, therefore, for contributing to the rural development of our municipalities."
Similarly, he emphasized that these actions "allow all farmers to access real and efficient genetic advances, especially benefiting family farms and smaller operations."
Alpresa also highlighted that the Diputación has resumed the historic 'fixed bid' auctions of purebred select livestock, considered a key tool for the improvement of the provincial livestock. With this procedure, farmers can inspect the animals on-site before making their bids, in a public and transparent process that also fosters direct contact and knowledge exchange among sector professionals.
This delivery is in addition to the public auction of sheep held on June 2, in which 29 purebred rams were awarded, also from the CIAG Huerto Ramírez: 15 Merino breed specimens, three early Merino, and eleven Ile de France, all approximately 15 months old and qualified by their respective genealogical books as select breeders.
The annual calendar foresees a new auction of pig breeders in the coming month of November, in line with the extensive production system applied in Huerto Ramírez, which allows for two farrowings and, consequently, the organization of two alienation processes per year.
During 2025, this model has made it possible to deliver 233 pig breeders to attend to more than 70 requests. With the aim of favoring the participation of the largest possible number of farms, the 76 breeders have been organized into 48 lots and a maximum allocation limit per applicant has been set.
The 'puja a la llana' (flat bid) system establishes increments of 20 euros over the minimum starting prices, which are clearly below usual market quotations, thus facilitating access to quality genetics for small and medium-sized farmers.
From the Provincial Council of Huelva, an "important investment" has also been made to modernize the facilities for these events, with the construction of a new livestock shed adapted to the needs of the auctions and equipped with the necessary equipment for handling and exhibiting the animals.
Livestock farming remains one of the basic pillars of rural development, contributing to generational renewal, population retention in rural areas, the survival of traditional trades, and the revitalization of local economies. Likewise, it fulfills an essential function in the conservation of ecosystems of high environmental value, such as the dehesa, and in the protection of biodiversity associated with these environments.
In this regard, the provincial institution actively participates in official livestock breeding programs by registering its ovine and porcine specimens in the corresponding genealogical books. These actions, developed in coordination with official breeder associations, allow for the preservation and improvement of the genetic characteristics of the main livestock breeds, ensuring their adaptation to the territory and reinforcing the quality of the province's livestock production.