Workshops on Entire Male Pigs and Boar Taint

SPAIN - Surgical castration has long been used to prevent boar taint in meat from entire male pigs but the procedure is subject to a voluntary ban in the EU from 2018. Workshops are being organised to address the issues of meat production from boars and on detection methods for boar taint.

5 September 2013

3 minute read

By: Lucy Towers

Europe

Due to animal welfare issues, the European Union (EU) now wants an alternative to surgical castration. The European Commission and representatives of European pig farmers, meat industry, traders, retailers, scientists and NGOs have recently committed themselves to plan to voluntarily end surgical castration of pigs in Europe by 1 January, 2018.

Regardless of future measures to reduce the incidence of boar taint at the production level (feeding regimes, selective breeding, etc.), there will still be a need for rapid detection methods at the slaughter-line for sorting out tainted carcasses.

This will also bring the opportunity to have boar taint-free and quality assured products, that also will contribute to also increase consumers’ acceptability of pork and pork products from entire male pigs.

During the first week of December, the Product Quality Department will organise the following two events in the Auditorium of IRTA-Monells:

2 to 3 December: Meeting of the EAAP Working Group on Production and Utilisation of Meat from Entire Male Pigs. This meeting is academia-orientated.
2 December: 3:00pm- 7:00pm. Welcome dinner (included in the registration fee)
3 December: 9:30am to 6:30 pm.
3 December (night): Dinner (at 8pm, in Girona; optional -not included in the registration fee)
4 December: International workshop on rapid detection methods. This meeting is industry oriented. From 9:30am to 4:00pm.

The workshops will take place in the Auditorium of IRTA de Monells (Monells, Girona, Catalonia, Spain).