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Sustainability in Pork Production with Immunocastrates

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Presentation on theme: "Sustainability in Pork Production with Immunocastrates"— Presentation transcript:

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


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