come, if it’s not one, it’s another. The focus is to breed a pig that is competent.” He explained that to be the most economic, animals need to be able to maximise the output per unit of cost, whether that is space, time, labour, etc whilst minimising costs. “In terms of product, in pig farming, pork is the product and genetics are at the front of the chain. The focus on pork quality, therefore, needs to be on the eating experience of the consumer; fla- vour, tenderness, juiciness, etc whilst maintaining an attrac- tive appearance,” Dr Charagu continued. These thoughts were echoed by David Casey, Asia product performance director at PIC, who elaborated on breeding for carcass traits. He said, “It is an evolving marketplace in terms of consumer preferences. Tenderness is now a driving force in pork requirements. Meat is about flavour and tenderness, pH is less relevant. Gathering data on tenderness is however, not cheap or easy. We are all cost-constrained, even geneticists, but it is not our only goal to have more piglets.” That being said, big steps are also being made internationally which can positively influence liveborn numbers in China. With a € 20 million R&D budget, Danish genetics company, DanBred, is now delivering production results of 39.8 piglets/ sow/year across the top-5 Danish production herds. As speak- er Dr Helle Palmø, the company’s chief geneticist, explained, that is a lot higher than any average in China, confirming that ‘they are able to deliver a high p/s/y but also high-vitality pig- lets’. She added: “Good management is essential for this.” Steep learning curves are expected in China in environmental matters such as management and biosecurity and are set to play a larger role in the future of healthier herds.
Big country, bigger steps to take Possibly unforeseen by the organisers at the moment of con- ception, the event came at a time when China’s pig industry is under immense pressure to withstand new and old chal- lenges. The Chinese pig industry is on the verge of a major shift in the wake of the African Swine Fever (ASF) crisis. Small- er, conventionally backyard pig farmers are going to be swal- lowed up by large integrators who have the economics and scale to rebuild. Although vaccine research is taking place, no solution is on the horizon. Collecting data could, however, help genetics companies build solutions. “Nucleus farms are all high health farms, so we need the information from challenged farms,” explained Dr Charagu. “Health level is a pre-requisite for genetic selection.” There was a call to look for great genetics when the restock- ing process begins and Specific Pathogen Free (SPF) countries are at the forefront of sought-after expertise. Canada, for ex- ample, has a high health status and therefore huge export potential. Jim Long, president of Canadian company Genesus, explained: “There is a realisation in China that genetics are worth something. But they shouldn’t do this themselves. Ge- netics are only 10% of the cost of pig production. This is an in- sufficient cost, but can have a major effect on performance.” To conclude he said, “The future depends on China. The pig industry needs to revitalise its nucleus farms and work with big genetics companies, but its going to be up to them to make the first step.” Time will tell what steps have been taken in a years’ time, when the crowds will gather again for the follow up summit of this inaugural event.
▶PIG PROGRESS | Volume 35, No. 6, 2019
International panel discus- sions concluded the one day summit where genetic progress was explored.
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