JEJU-DO < invest Korea

Smart pig sheds, eco-friendly farming with natural-circulation, a leader in the senary industry—these are some of the phrases that come to mind when describing the Jeju Donbgu Livestock Farmers Cooperative (Representative Kim Tae-wu). Founded in January 1997, the Jeju Donbgu Livestock Farmers Cooperative is currently the largest pig ranch in Jeju, as it grows 21,000 pigs on a 115,700 m2 wide area.

The Jeju Donbgu Livestock Farmers Cooperative knows that the taste and quality of pork are just as much affected by its growth environment and animal feeds as the quality of breeding pigs. Having considered the necessary factors, the cooperative is committed to securing high-quality feeds and building good growth environments. The cooperative only uses eco-friendly feeds made from nonantibiotic-certified ingredients and grass. It also keeps the environment pleasant for the pigs, as it keeps the growth density low. The cooperative also creates a green environment around the ranch by planting a tree for every pig that was raised in the facility. These efforts earned the Jeju Donbgu Livestock Farmers Cooperative a HACCP certification and an eco-friendly livestock farm designation in 2009. In July 2013, the cooperative acquired an eco-friendly agricultural product certification (nonantibiotic livestock product).

In 2017, the cooperative built a smart pig shed system that produces high-quality pork while improving the economic feasibility of its businesses. The Jeju Donbgu Livestock Farmers Cooperative has adopted three facilities to date: the environment control system, an automatic feeding system for lactating sows, and a cooling system. The environment control system indicates the humidity and temperature within the shed and sends an alert to the user’s smartphone if the humidity and temperature far exceed the optimal range. The automatic feeding system automatically supplies feeds to lactating sows (mother pigs) when they press a button. Users of the system can check on the physical status of the sows by observing their feeding behaviors. The cooperative also installed a cooling system to prevent the pigs from dying from heat during

The smart systems facilitated growth environment management, raising the MSY (marketed-pigs per sow per year) by 0.3–0.5. In 2019, the cooperative released 36,300 pigs and reported 22 MSY, far exceeding the Korean average of 17.9 MSY.

The Jeju Donbgu Livestock Farmers Cooperative plans to install a high-speed fermentation system for animal carcasses and compost as well as an animal feed measurement system. The six-month commissioning of the high-speed fermentation system was recently completed. The feed measurement system will allow the cooperative to collect data on the pigs’ animal feed intakes and use the data to control their specifications.

The cooperative strives to lead the senary industrialization of the pig industry with these smart pork production systems. Jeju Montrak is a Jeju pork restaurant chain codeveloped with the Jeju Donbgu Livestock Farmers Cooperative. The chain has 20 stores in Seoul, Gyeonggi-do, Chungcheongbuk-do, and Jeollanam-do.

The Jeju Donbgu Livestock Farmers Cooperative is expanding its investments in the production of high-quality and competitive pork products. The cooperative trains pork distribution experts through capacity-building programs facilitated by professional organizations, such as the Agricultural Food Distribution Training Center. It also spares no investment in advancing pork production technologies, including visits to leading pork production sites and the adoption of new technologies and products. The cooperative is also looking for ways to introduce Jeju pork to other countries by arranging meetings with buyers and attending food expos outside of Korea.