Introducing the Valens
Valens, validated excellence
Launched on the market in 2020, the Valens boar, with a 10% market share, has been a great success with breeders in France, but also with integrators and breeders in Spain and the Netherlands.
More than 400 Valens boars are currently present in French, Spanish and Dutch IACs. The Valens boar continues to expand internationally, particularly in Poland, with the arrival of the first boars in the CIA of the Group’s Polish subsidiary.
200
Boars in CIA in France
130
Boars in CIA in Spain
70
Boars in CIA in the Netherlands
The complete NN boar combining high growth, excellent IC and TMP
100% NN, the Valens is a boar that improves consumption index, GMQ and carcass quality with very precise qualification criteria.
It enables the production of highly homogeneous, conformed and resilient meat pigs combining high growth potential and feed efficiency. All these qualities combine to make Valens boar a product perfectly suited to the needs of integrators and producers looking for profitability.
Valens, a high-performance boar
100% NN
Growth
Food efficiency
Carcass
Homogeneous, conforming pigs
Standard and whole male markets
When you choose Valens, you’re guaranteed :
Excellent GMQ for fattening
Homogeneous, conforming pigs
Low feed costs
Guaranteed profitability
Behind the scenes of Valens genetic selection
Guillaume Lenoir, Axiom Genetic Director
A wealth of data for high-performance selection
The Valens boar benefits from precise, high-performance and innovative selection for CI, growth and carcass. With over 650 feeders worldwide, we monitor a large number of boars, enabling us to evaluate genetic potential in a wide range of environments. Our aim is to select animals with the best feed efficiency, whatever the feed and the breeding context.
An innovative criterion developed by Axiom
To achieve this objective, we select on the basis of the GMQCMJ (Average daily gain corrected by average daily consumption and growth in fattening). This approach enables us to identify animals with the best growth and consumption index in the fattening phase.
New innovations in feed efficiency selection
In collaboration with INRAE and IFIP, we are working to implement an innovative phenotyping protocol for digestive efficiency in individual pigs. This new phenotype, collected on a routine basis, will ultimately enhance the effectiveness of our CI selection and provide new information on the digestive capacity of animals to valorize different types of feed. In parallel, we are also developing the collection of blood bio-markers to identify animals with better feed efficiency potential at an early stage. These innovations will enable us to accelerate the genetic progress of Valens boars in terms of feed efficiency and resilience.
Robustness at the heart of our selection strategy
AXIOM is also working on the integration of selection criteria associated with robustness, in order to select ever more robust and resilient pigs. At the same time, we pay particular attention to the vitality of piglets at birth, a criterion integrated into our selection objectives.
Performance and evolution
What genetic progress on growth and CI for Valens?
Genetic trends highlight the progress made over the past 4 years in feed efficiency (IC) and growth (GMQCMJ), with an acceleration in the last year.
The genetic gain of one standard deviation in 4 years for each criterion illustrates the AXIOM Group’s ambitious and balanced selection strategy for its Valens line.
Field performance
Focus on the top 5 currently active boars
| Criteria | Top 5 boars |
|---|---|
| GMQ (g) | 1 230 |
| Lard at 100 kg (mm) | 5,5 |
| Muscle at 100 kg (mm) | 74,6 |
| IC | 1,96 |
Summary of slaughter results in 2024
| Criteria | Castrated males | Whole males |
|---|---|---|
| Hot weights (kg) | 96,0 | 95,2 |
| TMP | 61,5 | 62,3 |
| Lard at 100 kg (mm) | 13,1 | 11,7 |
| Muscle at 100 kg (mm) | 78,6 | 77,1 |
| Added value range | 16,5 | 17,3 |
Testimonials
FERME DE KER ANGEL – FRANCE
Weaner – Feeder
Genetics Adénia X Valens
300 sows present
35.5 piglets weaned / sow / year
Management 4 bands of 70, weaning 28 days
The specifics of breeding
Maternité en cases liberté
Fattening on straw
Whole males
Long tails
Raised without antibiotics
Food Ad Libitum
Testimony of Benjamin Lefeuvre and Laurent Dartois
“We’re very happy with the Valens boar. In the maternity ward, we wean good litters with quality piglets that start off very well in post-weaning: 555g GMQ in post-weaning on average over 1 year for 14.5 piglets weaned per litter, at an average weight of 7.6kg!
For fattening, we feed ad libitum and use straw. The Valens offspring have a good feed intake and get the most out of their feed. Their growth and feed conversion rate are excellent, and they have a good TMP. We make batches with over 1000g GMQ and 2.4 CI.
Finally, Valens offspring are hyper-homogeneous, which is impressive. The Valens is also a boar that does very well with whole males. Despite fattening on straw, which is a risk factor, we have 99.8% odorless males.
The Adénia X Valens couple, performances
| Criteria | Data |
|---|---|
| Number of pigs | 2 067 |
| Weight (input, kg) | 33,3 |
| Weight (output, kg) | 126,7 |
| Fattening loss rate (%) | 2,0 |
| Number of days (days) | 91 |
| Technical GMQ 30-115 (g/d) | 1 030 |
| Technical CI 30-445 (kg/kg) | 2,40* |
| TMP | 60,3 |
*Fattening on straw deteriorates the index by around 0.25. We can therefore estimate the 30-115 index at 2.15 if the pigs were fattened on slatted floors.
CIA SPERMATICA – SPAIN
CIA Spermatica
170 boars
130 Valens
Testimony of Joan Sans, Manager
What are the strengths of Valens boars for Spanish producers?
“The Valens’ first strength is growth. Some Spanish producers are gaining 18 to 22 days of age at slaughter while maintaining carcass weight. In Spain, integrated fattening places are very expensive, so this is a huge advantage.
The 2nd strong point is its very high feed intake capacity. Summers in Spain are very hot, particularly in the south, and Valens offspring are less affected because of their high feed intake capacity.
Finally, robustness is the Valens’ 3rd strong point, particularly in fattening. The percentage of fattening losses is very low. We have customers with loss rates of 2.5%, compared with 5% for other boars on the market.
What do Spanish slaughterers think of Valens?
“In Spain, slaughterers really appreciate Valens charcuterie pigs because they are very homogeneous. Carcasses are longer, and ham and shoulder weights are also higher.
W. BANKERS AGRO B.V. – NETHERLANDS
Farrower
Post-weaner up to 22 kg, weaning 25 days
1,500 sows
38 piglets weaned/sow/year
Genetics: Adénia x Valens
Dry feeding
Wilfred Bankers’ testimonial
“With the Valens, I have homogeneous piglets from birth, my work in the maternity unit is simplified and we are more confident about growth at the beginning of post-weaning.
Why Valens?
“I was looking for a complete boar that improves piglet quality from birth to sale. We want more homogeneous piglets to facilitate batch management and improve the overall quality of our production.”
What changes have you noticed? Are there any improvements in the piglets at birth or in post-weaning?
“Right from the first batch, we saw a clear improvement: -10% stillbirths and -70% hernias. Post-weaning uniformity is constant, with a gap of less than 7 days between the first and last piglets born per batch. Growth rates have also improved, to +40g per day.
How has this improved your day-to-day work?
“Maternity work is much easier. Piglets go quickly to the teats as soon as they’re born, and there’s a real difference in terms of vigor. Less care in the maternity ward, fewer stillbirths, virtually no searching, more peace and quiet. The piglets are autonomous, which frees up our time to concentrate on other tasks, and makes my employees’ work easier.
Any feedback from other Valens users in the Netherlands?
“Initial feedback from the Dutch market is in line with our promises. Valens ensures rapid growth, homogeneous offspring and reduced feeding costs per kilo of growth. The rapid weight gain in post-weaning and the robustness of the offspring make the Valens boar the ideal solution for Dutch breeders, as well as for export-oriented breeders in demanding markets such as Spain and Germany.
CIA AXIOM POLSKA
Stanislaw Niemyjski’s testimony
“The Valens represents a response to growing market demand and offers an ideal alternative to Duroc boars.”
How relevant is the Valens boar to the Polish market?
“Given the current polarization of the market, we are delighted to offer the Valens boar on the Polish market, a terminal boar that has recently arrived at our insemination center and offers an ideal alternative to meet the changing needs of the market.
Its distinctive characteristics, including a high percentage of muscle, strong growth and excellent feed conversion, make this boar an optimal choice for breeders looking to maximize performance. The low fattening loss rate also represents a significant economic advantage, translating into lower production costs and increased profitability.
Finally, the calm temperament and phenotype of the Valens, characterized by impressive loin length, strong legs, well-developed hams and optimal proportions of primary cuts, make it an ideal choice for breeders looking for efficient butcher pigs with superior carcass quality. This is a new quality product on the Polish market”.
