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Farm and management characteristics associated with boar taint

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  18 July 2013

C. P. A. van Wagenberg ,
H. M. Snoek ,
J. B. van der Fels ,
C. M. C. van der Peet-Schwering ,
H. M. Vermeer  and
L. Heres
C. P. A. van Wagenberg*
Affiliation:
LEI Wageningen UR, PO Box 29703, 2502 LS, Den Haag, The Netherlands
H. M. Snoek
Affiliation:
LEI Wageningen UR, PO Box 29703, 2502 LS, Den Haag, The Netherlands
J. B. van der Fels
Affiliation:
Wageningen UR Livestock Research, PO Box 65, 8200 AB, Lelystad, The Netherlands
C. M. C. van der Peet-Schwering
Affiliation:
Wageningen UR Livestock Research, PO Box 65, 8200 AB, Lelystad, The Netherlands
H. M. Vermeer
Affiliation:
Wageningen UR Livestock Research, PO Box 65, 8200 AB, Lelystad, The Netherlands
L. Heres
Affiliation:
VION Food Group, Noord Brabantlaan 303-307, 5657 GB, Eindhoven, The Netherlands
*
†E-mail: coen.vanwagenberg@wur.nl
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Abstract

Pig farms in the Netherlands producing boars have different levels of boar taint prevalence, as assessed by sensory evaluation with the human nose at the slaughter line. With a questionnaire to 152 Dutch pig producers (response rate 59%), farm and management characteristics were identified that are potentially associated with farm-level boar taint prevalence. Lower farm-level boar taint prevalence was associated with a smaller group size, a smaller pen surface per boar, newer housing equipment, not practicing restricted feeding in the last period before delivery, a longer fasting period before slaughter, a higher stocking weight and a lower fraction of boars from purebred dam line sows or from Pietrain terminal boars. These characteristics can be used to develop farm-level intervention strategies to control boar taint. More research effort is needed to establish causal relationships.

Keywords

entire male pigsboar taintfarm characteristics
Type
Behaviour, welfare and health
Information
animal , Volume 7 , Issue 11 , November 2013 , pp. 1841 - 1848
Copyright
Copyright © The Animal Consortium 2013 

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