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BIG Challenge 2012

BIG Challenge
BIG Challenge: the livestock keeping sector against cancer. Pig farmers, dairy farmers, veterinarians, feed advisors, journalists and researchers are uniting to bring an end to the despair and hopelessness that cancer causes in our society. A disease that affects 1 in 3 people and has devastating consequences for family members, friends and colleagues.

Precisely for this reason, 169 cyclists from the livestock keeping sector will be climbing the infamous Alpe d’Huez as many times as possible on 7 June 2012 to raise funds for cancer research. The BIG Challenge cyclists are just some of the 7.500 cyclists who will be taking part in the Alpe d’HuZes: www.opgevenisgeenoptie.nl

Goal 2012
BIG Challenge’s goal is to raise 840,000 euro through their efforts on that day. To achieve this, BIG Challenge is approaching a large number of sponsors and in the run up to the event the participants will also be organising various sponsorship activities. On the one hand to raise money, and on the other to raise awareness of this initiative of the pig husbandry sector among the wider public.

Herman Houweling
The initiator behind BIG Challenge is Herman Houweling. He started this initiative in 2009 together with representatives of the Dutch pig husbandry sector to raise money for research into the terrible disease of cancer. He raised a sum amounting to more than 100,000 euro. In return he cycled up the Alpe d’Huez in France twice on 4 June 20 during the Alpe d’HuZes event. Sadly, we had to say farewell to Herman in 2010. He fought his own personal battle and lost. He passed away on 18 January 2010 due to intestinal cancer.

Result 2011
A group of 80 cyclists with a background in pig keeping has taken over the fine example shown by Herman. On 9 June 2011 they climbed Alpe d’Huez no fewer than 400 times! This amazing feat raised almost 642.607 euro for Alpe d’HuZes. In 2011 Alpe d’HuZes was able to donate a record figure of 20.1 million euro to the Dutch cancer research fund KWF.

ZLTO-Initiative prize
In the meantime, the fame and popularity of the BIG Challenge have grown explosively. In December 2010 BIG Challenge won the ZLTO-Initiative prize. This prize was awarded for the best initiative in 2010 that aimed to improve social appreciation of the agricultural sector.

BIG Challenge foundation
BIG Challenge is an initiative of the pig husbandry sector. In order to carry forward the initiative, the BIG Challenge foundation was formed in 2010. LTO Nederland, Nederlandse Vakbond Varkenshouders (NVV) and Productschappen Vee, Vlees en Eieren are represented in this foundation.  In this way the fantastic idea started by Herman has a permanent place in the pig sector and its continuity is guaranteed.

Herman’s wish
BIG Challenge can now devote all its energy to achieving Herman’s greatest wish: “Changing cancer from being a terminal disease into a chronic disease. This requires a huge sum of money. And that includes donations from the people and the businesses active in the pig sector. I want to be able to state with pride that the Dutch pig sector is making a positive contribution in the battle against cancer.”