The density of pigs per square kilometer in Soria is low, 70.58% of the Spanish average, which means that the province’s pig sector has greater capacity for development. “An opportunity that should not be missed,” says Copiso’s general manager, Pascual López. Soria has 48 pigs per square kilometer. If we compare this figure with the Spanish average of 68, the 50 in Castile and León, the 200 in Aragon and Murcia, or the 250 in Catalonia, it is clear that the pig sector has much more room for growth in the province. This potential is helped by the scattered population, the rural nature, and the cereal-growing tradition of Soria. In other countries with a strong pig industry, such as the Netherlands and Denmark, the density is around 300 pigs per square kilometer.
In this context, Copiso is a model and an example of pig production in Spain and worldwide, with one of the most modern structures and a firm commitment to the environment and animal welfare. This is backed up by the national and international prestige, credibility, and efficient results of the Soria-based social enterprise. Pascual López also points out that the pig sector is a pillar and an economic and employment driver in rural areas and, therefore, helps to keep the population in villages.
As a relevant example, it is worth mentioning that half of the 35 children at the school in the town of Langa de Duero in Soria are children of workers in the pig farming sector. In this village of around 500 inhabitants, the two farms have 26 employees.
And yes, livestock farming is necessary to feed people, “and in Soria we know very well how to produce pork, with quality meat and the best sustainability criteria, the authorities and society should support the sector,” says the head of Copiso, a cooperative that generates hundreds of jobs.
He regrets that the sector is being stigmatized with a series of clichés and assumptions that are untrue and out of touch with social, economic, and environmental reality. He explains that intensive livestock farming consumes less water and energy and minimizes polluting emissions. Farms have been scaled up because livestock farming must be made profitable, economically and socially. Investments in today’s farms run into millions, “precisely because we want facilities that are demanding, safe, and provide solutions to food and environmental challenges. Less than 10% of the nitrogen that goes into the soil comes from livestock, when we also contribute organic fertilizer,” notes Pascual López.
“We are taking on the goal of feeding people at affordable prices, and this has had a lot to do with the professionalization and arrival of technicians in livestock and agricultural management, using scientific methodology, reducing costs, optimizing production, and being efficient, with a growing sensitivity to environmental problems and issues, which runs parallel to the sensitivity and concern of society as a whole, with solutions that are coming thanks to technology and research. All this progress and all these improvements have gone straight into the pockets of consumers, who have benefited because otherwise they would not be able to afford these foods due to the high prices they would have.