Investigation of QTL regions on Chromosome 17 for genes associated with meat color in the pig

Posted in: Meat Quality by admin on January 1, 2008 | No Comments

This paper finds that the EDN3 and PHACTR3 genes might have potential effects on meat
colour in pigs, and molecular mechanisms of their functions are worth
exploring.

Modelling the Spatial Structure of Pig Production in Denmark

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In this study we analysed the impact of
agglomeration externalities, input and output market
access, and environmental regulations on the location
of pig production in 1999 and 2004 in Denmark. The
results show that spatial externalities are important for
location of pig production, i.e. pig farms have higher
profit if there is a high concentration of pigs in the
neighbourhood. This indicates that pig farms benefit
from input sharing, labour pool matching and
knowledge spillovers. On the other hand, we found no
or only a week effect of input and output accessibility.
However, we did not expect to find a strong effect of
accessibility of slaughterhouses due to the
organisational structure of the Danish slaughterhouse
sector, i.e. farmer-owned slaughterhouses and farmers’
distance-independent payment of transport costs. The
lacking impact on location of input accessibility may
be caused by weak instruments for the accessibility of
industrial feed. Finally, we found that the
environmental regulations imply a negative
agglomeration externality. The econometrical analysis
showed that it is important to consider that
explanatory variables in a location model may be
endogenous. The analysis showed also that it is also
important to consider the potential spatial dependence
in the error terms.

Relational Contracts and Adaptation: Application to a Pork Producer Contract

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Contractual arrangements are a very common form of governance in agri-food chains. Contracts are used to coordinate production and distribution of agricultural products and inputs in many sectors, of which some examples are in broiler and in pork. In this article, we apply a model of relational contract between two Danish pork producers. When designing relational contracts such as this partnership between Farmers N
and J, it is usually based on budgets that are rather static based on assumptions
regarding average prices and cost levels. To fit into the adaptation framework, we
made dynamic budgets showing the payoffs to both parties at various states and with
different actual decisions taken after each state was revealed. This exercise in itself
seems to be rather valuable. It provides not only insight to the profit accruing to each
party given their expectations but also induces the parties to have a detailed
discussion on how allocation of the decision rights affects the potential outcome.
Regarding the specific case, we found that they have allocated decision rights in
such a manner that actual decisions on quality will be taken to protect the relation
and maximize the total shared profit.

Effect of space allowance during rearing and selection criteria on performance of gilts over three parities in a commercial swine production system

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A total of 1,257 gilts were used to determine the effect of space allowance during rearing and age at puberty on total pigs produced and removal rate over 3 parities. There were 2 treatments. In treatment 1, gilts were given a space allowance of 1.13 m2/ gilt (15 gilts per pen), and in treatment 2, gilts were given 0.77 m2/gilt (22 gilts per pen). Gilts (38 kg and 75 d of age) were individually weighed upon entry and before leaving the rearing site. They were scanned for backfat thickness and loin depth and had their feet and legs scored for structure, movement, and toe evenness before leaving the rearing site. Commencing at approximately 140 d of age, gilts were exposed to a vasectomized boar once daily with age of puberty recorded for all gilts attaining puberty before leaving the rearing site. Gilts were then moved to a specialized gilt breeding farm. When confirmed pregnant, they were moved to 1 of 9 sow farms at random, where gilts remained
until removal from that herd. Space allowance in rearing had no effect (P > 0.29) on growth rate in rearing, backfat thickness and loin depth, total pigs produced, or removal rate. A greater percentage of gilts attained puberty (P = 0.02) and attained puberty at a younger age (P < 0.01) when given the greater space allowance in rearing. Gilts given the lower space allowance in rearing had more (P = 0.04) cracks on their rear hooves. Gilts attaining puberty at a younger age ( d) had a greater growth rate in rearing, greater backfat thickness at 200 d of age, and produced more (P < 0.05) pigs over parities 1 to 3. Gilts in the fastest growthrate group in rearing (>860 g/d) had greater (P < 0.05) total born in parity 1, but total pigs produced to the end of parity 3 was not different (P = 0.47). Contrary to expectation, a fast growth rate in rearing did not negatively affect removal rate. Gilts served between 240 to 260 d of age produced more (P < 0.01) pigs by the end of parity 3 than those served at >260 d of age, whereas a greater (P < 0.01) percentage of gilts served
at >280 d of age were removed by the end of parity 3. In conclusion, space allowance in rearing did not affect total pigs produced or removal rate; however, gilts that attained puberty at a younger age produced more pigs over parities 1 to 3.

For more information the full article can be found at http://jas.fass.org/

Novel object test can detect marginal differences in environmental enrichment in pigs

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At present research is being conducted to develop animal-based monitoring schemes for on farm welfare assessment at the European level (Blokhuis et al., 2003; Butterworth, 2005; Velarde and Geers, 2007). As part of this work a semi-automated novel object test was developed to measure the level of environmental enrichment and/or the level of positive welfare (positive emotions) in the pigs. When play would indicate ‘having fun’ (Spinka et al., 2001) the exploration of a novel object, i.e. object play, could, perhaps, be used to measure the pigs’ residual need (i.e. their remaining motivation) to explore/play. If so, we would expect an inverse relationship between the interaction with the novel object and the level of enrichment in the pen. The level of enrichment is known to have an effect on both play behaviour and on redirected activities (e.g. Wood-Gush and Vestergaard, 1991; Fraser et al., 1991; for a review see Bracke et al., 2006). In search for a test measuring positive emotions in pigs for application in on-farm welfare auditing, three small experiments were conducted to examine the sensitivity of a novel object test designed to measure the pigs’ (residual) need/motivation for enrichment. In the experiments the interactions with a novel piece of rope were measured at pen level using a so-called AMI sensor (AMI: animal–material interactions). Measurements were taken at several points in time over a 1–2 h period in order to test the effects of marginal enrichments, namely the provision of a jerrycan canister (Experiments 1a and 1b) and the provision of some sawdust and/or removal of the metal chain (Experiment 2). The first experiment was replicated in, respectively, 8 and 15 matched pairs of pens with groups of about 11 growing pigs per pen. A jerrycan was provided in one pen of each pair as of the day before the novel object test. In the first replicate (Experiment 1a) only a main effect of time was found in that AMI decreased over time. In the second replicate (Experiment 1b) the provision of the jerrycan significantly reduced AMI. A sign test also confirmed this effect for the data in the first replicate. The recent provision of a jerrycan, therefore, marginally, but statistically significantly, reduced AMI in the novel object test. Experiment 2 was a 2 x 2 factorially designed study conducted in 40 pens containing groups of 24 weaned piglets. Factors were sawdust provision and chain removal. The four treatment combinations were applied as of 45 min before the test. In addition to a main effect of time, it was found that AMI significantly increased when the chain had been removed (P = 0.006), and that the provision of sawdust tended to depress AMI at 10 min, while tending to enhance AMI at 30 min (interaction between time and sawdust provision: P = 0.097). The results indicate that the novel object test may be used to detect relatively minor differences in environmental enrichment.

For more information the full article can be found at http://journals.elsevierhealth.com/periodicals/applan/issues

Sow responsiveness to human contacts and piglet vocalization during 24 h after onset of parturition

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Sow responsiveness towards external disturbances and concurrent postural changes are proposed to be an
important cause of early piglet crushing. The aim of the present study was to assess whether loose housed
sows change their responsiveness over time within the first 24 h after birth of the first piglet upon exposure to
different types of human contact and towards piglets’ scream. The responsiveness of the sows (n = 17) was
scored during: (i) blood sampling of the sow during 24 h after the onset of parturition, (ii) human handling of
a piglet at 0, 30 min, 1, 2, 4, 8 and 24 h after birth, (iii) screaming when a piglet was trapped underneath the
sow and (iv) exposure to playback of piglets’ screams at 10 and 24 h after the onset of parturition. A sow was
scored as responsive if she changed her posture in response to the stimuli. The behavioral scores were
analyzed during three predefined periods: parturition (from birth of first piglet to birth of last piglet), phase 1
(from birth of last piglet to 12 h after birth of first piglet) and phase 2 (from 12 h after birth of first piglet to
24 h after birth of first piglet). The responsiveness of sows towards humans during blood sampling differed
between the three periods ( p < 0.01), whereas it did not differ between periods during human handling of
piglets. During blood sampling, fewer sows were responsive during phase 1 (5%) compared to during
parturition (11%) and the later phase 2 (17%). We did not detect any temporal changes in sow responsiveness
towards natural incidences of screaming of own trapped piglet between the three periods (it
remained high: 80%), whereas sows exposed to playback of piglet screams had a higher probability
( p < 0.05) to react at 12 h (50%) than at 24 h (25%). In conclusion, the responsiveness of sows toward direct
human contact was lower during the first 12 h postpartum. The careful handling of piglets in the home pen
had a minimal effect on the probability of postural changes in sows. However, sows were highly reactive
towards the screaming of own trapped piglet during the whole 24 h period pp. The relative lower responsiveness towards playbacks, decreasing from 12 to 24 h pp, cast doubt upon the piglet scream
playback test as a useful approach to evaluate maternal responsiveness in sows.

For more information the full article can be found at http://journals.elsevierhealth.com/periodicals/applan/issues

Crate flooring can affect a sow’s comfort and health

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Choosing the right slatted flooring in farrowing crates could increase sow comfort and reduce shoulder pressure
lesions. That’s one of the observations coming out of a study by Kathy Zurbrigg, a surveillance analyst with the
Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs. The study set out to determine if a human pressure measurement system could be effectively used to measure the pressure exerted on a sow’s shoulder when it lays down to
farrow and nurse. Tests were conducted using two types of farrowing crate flooring – cast iron and triangular bar. It was found that the triangular bar flooring has narrower slats and wider slots (the openings between slats) than the cast iron slatted floor,” the study’s author observed. “The resulting decreased surface area for contact with the shoulder increases the pressure exerted on those areas that contact the slats, particularly the bony prominence of the scapula, because there is less surface area over which to distribute the sow’s weight. In this study, the addition of a rubber mat over part
of the farrowing crate floor significantly reduced the contact areas of the sow’s shoulder.

Factors affecting length of productive life in Swedish commercial sows

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The objective of this study was to investigate
factors that might influence the length of productive
life in Swedish crossbred (Landrace × Yorkshire)
sows. If was found that days after farrowing
was the main risk factor for sow removal. Removal
hazard was greatest shortly after weaning, and this
peak increased with greater parity number.

Genetic components of heat stress in finishing pigs: Parameter estimation

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This study describes the genetic variability of pig carcass weight as a function of heat stress. It was found that heritability for growth was greater under heat stress. Selection for crossbred performance would be optimal when data for periods both in the absence and presence of heat stress were considered.

Prediction of in vivo apparent total tract energy digestibility of barley in grower pigs using an in vitro digestibility technique

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The objective of this study was to establish and evaluate an in vitro digestibility technique to predict in vivo ATTD of energy of barley in grower pigs. It was concluded that the 3-step in vitro energy digestibility technique can accurately predict the ATTD of energy in barley in grower pigs. The 3-step in vitro digestibility technique, thus, might be useful as the reference laboratory procedure to calibrate analytical equipment to rapidly predict the ATTD
of energy in barley.