Free-range swine husbandry: a comparison of different genetic stocks with particular regard to behavioral aspects
Abstract
For most consumers, the concept of food quality includes much more than just the tangible qualities of a particular product. Until recently, a food's quality was judged by its taste, nutritional value and freedom from harmful residues, whereas now, particularly in the case of animal products, ecologically and ethically responsible production methods are also being taken into account. This has resulted in certain consequences with regard to animal breeding. In swine breeding, genetic predisposition must take into account fitness and meat quality characteristics in addition to the currently common characteristics of fattening performance and lean meat percentage. The ecological and ethical aspects also lead inevitably to the question of appropriate husbandry systems for the animals. Many of the pigs' specific needs prove to be impossible to fulfill in an indoor barn husbandry system, even under the best of conditions. Free-range husbandry offers a species-appropriate alternative to indoor stock-keeping, if certain obligatory structures and facilities can be offered. In this project, these correlations were investigated within the framework of a free-range husbandry system for fattening pigs. Initial results confirm the hypothesis that a lower percentage of lean meat on the carcass results not only in more rapid weight gain and better meat quality, but also in much more active and dynamic animal behavior. This puts a positive perspective not only on free-range husbandry as an alternative husbandry concept, but also on the realization of new and better demands on quality.
keywords pig free-range husbandry performance
Publikationen
Schweine-Freilandhaltung ? Möglichkeiten einer Qualitätsoffensive im Schweinefleischbereich.
Autoren: Laister, S., Konrad, S. Jahr: 2001
Conference & Workshop proceedings, paper, abstract
Alternative Freilandhaltung.
Autoren: Konrad, S., Laister, S. Jahr: 2001
Newspaper / Magazine article
Mastschweine-Freilandhaltung: Genetik, Tierverhalten, Produktqualität
Autoren: Konrad, S., Laister, S. Jahr: 2002
Conference & Workshop proceedings, paper, abstract
Project staff
Sigurd Konrad
Ao.Univ.Prof. Dipl.-Ing. Dr.nat.techn. Sigurd Konrad
sigurd.konrad@boku.ac.at
Project Leader
01.02.2000 - 31.03.2001
BOKU partners
External partners
Vier Pfoten - Stiftung für Tierschutz
none
partner
Gutsverwaltung des Prämonstratenser Chorherren Stiftes Geras
Abt dr. Angerer
partner
Ökoland
none
partner
Ja! Natürlich Naturprodukt GmbH
none
partner