Social Behaviour Now Included in Selection

Researchers have developed a mathematical model that allows the social behaviour between pigs in a pen to be included in selection decisions.

Up until now, pigs were bred solely on the basis of individual performance. However, these results show that social interactions between pigs are inherited and can make a significant contribution to the performance of pigs in a pen.

TOPIGS will be the first company to include this new selection method in its breeding programme. For pig breeding organisations such as TOPIGS, the method offers new opportunities for a balanced improvement of pig genetics.

This new method considers not just a pig's genetic predisposition for its own performance but also its ability, or otherwise, to live as a sociable individual with others in one pen. Consequently, both the welfare and performance of pigs will be improved.

The Institute for Pig Genetics is a leading information and technology centre for livestock breeding and artificial insemination programmes. The Animal Breeding and Genomics Centre of Wageningen University focuses on identifying the biological role of genetic factors on the functioning of farm animals and the development of selection methods.

For further information visit:
www.abg.wur.nl

www.ipg.nl

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