1. Sustainability in Pork Production with Immunocastrates
Volker Stefanski
SusAn COFUNDED Mid-Term Research Project Seminar
10-11 April 2019, Wageningen (NL)

2. Background
In the EU, about 75 % of male piglets are surgically castrated, although stakeholders committed to ban this practice by In Germany, the end of surgical castration without anesthesia has been postponed until 2020 – despite available alternatives.
Castration serves to prevent off-odor in meat from male pigs (boar taint), but causes strong public disapproval – it is painful and a welfare problem.
Raising entire males has been regarded as an alternative, but problems with animal welfare and meat quality remain.
Immunocastration is a serious alternative with potential economic and ecological advantages to make the European pig industry more competitive.
Sustainability in pork production with immunocastration

3. Two injection with Improvac
How does Immunocastration work?
Immunisation with anti-GnRH vaccine (Improvac©)
Hypothalamus
anti-GnRH
antibodies
GnRH
Improvac
(V1 & V2)
Two injection with Improvac
Pituitary V1 V2
Testes
Testosterone
Androstenone
Sexual behavior
Aggression
Pheromone
Boar taint
Age
Sexualverhalten
Agression
Pheromone
Ebergeruch
Sustainability in pork production with immunocastration

4. Overall Goal
Evaluate and optimise pork production with immunocastration (IC) as an environmental, economic and socially sustainable alternative to production systems with surgical castrates and entire males.
Sustainability in pork production with immunocastration

5. Specific Goals
Optimised management of immunocastrates (welfare, environment, economy)
Reliability of IC under different conditions
Impact of IC on animal behaviour and health under different housing conditions
(animal welfare)
Product quality: strategies to improve meat quality in different production systems
Innovative feeding concepts
Improved sustainability
Market acceptance of IC products, potential for changing consumer attitudes, regional differences
Environmental footprint
Improving production efficiency, economic margins
Research uptake
Scientific community (publications)
Stakeholders (Round table discussions, best practice guides, media)
General public
Sustainability in pork production with immunocastration

6. SuSI Organisation
 8 partners from 7 countries work in closely related work packages
 Experimental trials in 4 EU countries
Step 1: Data and information from experimental trials are collected.
Step 2: Processing and analysis of specific data
Step 3: Integration and dissemination
Sustainability in pork production with immunocastration

7. Interim Research Findings
Immunocastration reduces boar taint effectively even under stressful conditions
Immunocastration reduces animal welfare problems (such as penile injuries)
Immunocastration is ecologically very efficient
Precision feeding of IC further improves feed efficiency and environmental footprint
EU pork industry faces ambiguity challenges to justify their legitimacy position
No single organisation or institution with sufficient power to lead the regulatory process for the surgical castration issue. Germany has an influential role in pork market.
Sustainability in pork production with immunocastration

8. Improved Welfare – Less Injuries
Chi-square: p < 0.05
MW-U-Test: p < 0.05
Data from SuSI project showing 50 % of the final data set
Kress et al. 2018
Sustainability in pork production with immunocastration

9. Current Politics / Market Development hampering IC
Development in Germany (ban of castration postponed) affects positions of national and international stakeholders.
Meat industry: Public discussion showed that IC is not yet accepted by the market. Consumer attitude is used as a spurious argument against it.
Organic pork organisations may omit IC, as they expect the forthcoming EU regulation on organic farming to ban the use of Improvac.
The reason for low market acceptance appears to be based neither on facts, nor on scientific results. This complicates any dialogue about the potential of IC to improve social and environmental sustainability in pork production in the EU.
Sustainability in pork production with immunocastration

10. SuSI contributes to the current Debate
SuSI Communication
SuSI provides knowledge on immunocastration to support pork industry and farmers. It also assists governmental authorities in their decision-making processes towards a consumer-accepted pork production across the EU.
SuSI actively participates in European expert groups of scientists and stakeholders. SuSI scientists actively shape this process
SuSI organises / takes parts in round tables in Germany and encourages similar round tables in other countries
SuSI will develop best practice guides of an optimised production with IC
Sustainability in pork production with immunocastration

11. Fulfillment of Objectives
Evaluation and optimisation of management strategies with IC % completion
Welfare
Feeding
Environment
Integrative analysis – 50 % completion
Data-based evaluation of IC as a sustainable alternative to production with SC/EM in different European production systems
EU-wide insights in the factors that influence consumer acceptance of IC
Cost-benefit analyses and economic competitiveness models of EU pork production
Improvement of social, ecological and economic sustainability
Dissemination – 40 % completion
Best practice guides for sustainable production systems with IC
Round table discussions
Networks (national / international)
Fulfillment of Objectives
Sustainability in pork production with immunocastration

12. Summary
Immmunocastration has ecological, animal welfare and potential economic advantages. It could make European pig industry more competitive, if it gains market acceptance.
SuSI provides optimised knowledge on IC to support pork industry and farmers. It also assists governmental authorities in their decision-making processes towards a consumer-accepted pork production across the EU.
Research uptake and co-creation processes in SuSI include intense transdisciplinary collaboration and knowledge sharing with partners from other projects (e.g. COST IPEMA) and stakeholders on EU level.
Sustainability in pork production with immunocastration

13. SuSI Partners from seven EU Countries
SL: Kmetijski institute Slovenije;
University of Ljubljana –
Veterinary Faculty
BE: Institute for Agricultural
and Fisheries Research
DE: University of Hohenheim
DK: SEGES Pig Research Centre
PL: Warsaw University of
Life Sciences
FR: French National Institute
for Agricultural Research
NL: Wageningen University
Sustainability in pork production with immunocastration