Management strategies to improve carcass quality of pigs that are either females, surgical castrates or immunocastrates
Document Type
Conference Proceeding
Publication Date
2000
Conference Title
Proceedings of the Nutrition Society of Australia
Keywords
pigs, swine, pork
Disciplines
Meat Science
Abstract
The Australian pig industry stopped surgically castrating male pigs more than 30 years ago because of the production efficiencies associated with leaving them entire. The opening of export markets of Australian pork in Asia and the need to improve eating quality on the domestic market has, however, meant renewed interest in castration as a standard practice. However, a major problem is the increase in depth of subcutaneous fat (P2) associated with castration (1), because on current price schedules producers are heavily penalised for pigs with more than 14mm P2, regardless of eating quality per se. The aim of the experiment was to investigate two management strategies that could be used to overcome this increase in fat deposition due to castration of entire males.
Recommended Citation
Mullan, B P,
Trezona, M,
Hagan, C R,
Davis, R J,
Nicholls, R R,
and
D'Souza, D N.
(2000), Management strategies to improve carcass quality of pigs that are either females, surgical castrates or immunocastrates, Proceedings of the Nutrition Society of Australia, pp.259.
https://library.dpird.wa.gov.au/conf_papers/222
