Interview
From Japan to Spain: Eco-Pork Brings AI to the Swine Industry

Spanish

Japanese agricultural technology (AgTech) startup Eco-Pork is advancing a proof-of-concept project with FACCSA (Frigoríficos Andaluces de Conservas de Carne), a major meat processing company in southern Spain, to introduce an AI-based swine management system. JETRO visited Eco-Pork and FACCSA on June 10 to assess progress. At FACCSA's facility in Cartagena-Estación, Málaga, preparations are underway for the installation of an AI camera at the intake gate. Spain confirmed the presence of African Swine Fever (ASF) in November 2025, resulting in a suspension of pork exports to Japan (see article from December 8, 2025). While awaiting the resumption of exports, Eco-Pork's technology is generating interest for its potential to reduce management costs for Spanish swine producers, and this visit confirmed the progress of the proof-of-concept.

Eco-Pork was founded in 2017. The company integrates AI cameras, hardware, and software to manage and optimize data across the swine supply chain, from breeding to shipment, positioning itself as a data company driving digital transformation in the swine industry. According to company materials published in February 2026, its cloud management platform "Porker" holds approximately 15% market share among swine farms in Japan, improves farm productivity by 7% annually, and has generated approximately 7.93 billion yen in increased sales for farmers.

FACCSA was founded in 1941 and is headquartered in Cartagena-Estación, Málaga. The company processes approximately 25,000 pigs per week, with 55% of its production exported primarily to Asian markets. The connection between the two companies was made through JETRO's J-StarX Climate Tech course (Europe), where a mentor from the University of Valencia brought Eco-Pork and FACCSA together.

The current proof-of-concept focuses on headcount verification at the intake gate of FACCSA's slaughterhouse. FACCSA currently operates a system in which workers manually count the number of pigs per incoming truck by visual inspection, then cross-check against measurements taken at weighing stations. Eco-Pork's AI camera is designed to function as an automated pre-verification check for this manual counting process. By automatically tallying headcounts as trucks arrive, the system aims to enable earlier detection of discrepancies on the processing line, reducing management costs. Similar system deployments in Japan's domestic pilot programs have demonstrated results including shorter finishing periods and improvements in feed conversion ratio.
In addition to potential adoption at its own facility, FACCSA has expressed strong interest in rolling out Eco-Pork's system to its network of approximately 50 contract farms. If an agreement is reached, this could lead to deployment across a network totaling tens of thousands of heads of swine. A FACCSA executive noted that the Japanese market has long been a critical export destination for the company, and that the project represents an important opportunity to maintain business ties with Japan in the context of digital transformation. "Japan's presence always opens many doors," the executive said.

Eco-Pork also participated in a seminar hosted by INTERPORC (the Inter-professional Organization of the Spanish White Pig Sector) and the Embassy of Japan in Spain. Through the seminar, the company established new connections with Copese Group, a swine industry enterprise based in Segovia, opening possibilities for future discussions on potential deployment in northern Spain.
With FACCSA as a potential anchor partner — one that could extend Eco-Pork's reach to approximately 50 contract farms — and a growing network of contacts across the Spanish swine industry, Eco-Pork is laying the groundwork for a full-scale expansion into the European market.