Topigs Norsvin halves boar taint

Topigs Norsvin has reported that it has reduced boar taint in their breeding program by more than 10% over the past 50 years.

About 2% to 3% of Topigs Norsvin's pigs now show too high odor values ​​on the Human Nose Scoring (HNS) scale, compared to about 10% 5 years ago. This reduction is mainly due to genetic selection, which takes into account fat analyzes and genomic information.

Eliminate boar taint
Topigs Norsvin wants to reduce boar taint even further in the coming years. However, it is not yet possible to completely eliminate boar taint through breeding, but there are other methods to reduce the percentage; an example is animal nutrition, which is now also being researched.

In addition, there has been talk for years about a ban on castration in the pig sector. Topigs Norsvin hopes to eliminate boar taint before such a ban is eventually introduced. The company also wants to offer pig farmers a solution to this issue.

Tim Roetman

Tim Roetman has been working as a junior editor at livestock farming since November 2018 Boerenbusiness† He mainly writes about (price) developments in the pig and dairy market.

t.roetman@boerenbusiness. Nl

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