Elite Sires customers enjoy ‘largest genetic gain ever realised’
Elite Sires’ customers are reaping the benefits of the “largest genetic gain ever realised” in slaughter pigs, says Managing Director Alan Shepherd.
The Irish company’s Danish suppliers DanBred documented a genetic enhancement average of €2.17 per slaughter pig per year in 2017.
The result is “the largest genetic gain ever realised”, says DanBred. And those gains are being reflected in production gains recorded by Elite Sires customers in Ireland.
Alan Shepherd, Managing Director at Elite Sires, says the improvements made by DanBred will have a very positive impact on the businesses of Elite Sires clients.
“Elite Sires customers are reaping the rewards of the cutting-edge developments at DanBred. As the sole distributor of DanBred genetics in Ireland, Elite Sires will be ensuring that our customers are breeding at levels that are world class in pig production. Without spending more money, our customers are achieving better results and that is a huge benefit to them.”
DanBred has attributed the gains to genomic selection coupled with their professional, technical expertise.
Anders Vernersen, head of Breeding and Genetics at SEGES Danish Pig Production, explains that DNA testing of all breeding candidates, helped the company “obtain a better picture of which candidates that have the biggest potential.”
He adds: “We have increased the probability of finding the best breeding candidates, and we achieve genetic information on each breeding animal earlier in the animal’s life. This benefits all DanBred customers.”
The genetic improvement of €2.17 per slaughter pig per year is distributed across: daily gain from 30 kg to slaughter with a value of €0.31, feed conversion ratio with a value of €0.82, lean meat percentage with a value of €0.21, living piglets at day 5 (LP5) with a value of €0.50, conformation with a value of €0.03, daily gain from birth to 30 kg with a value of €0.02, longevity with a value of €0.11, killing out percentage with a value of €0.02 and sire effect on litter size with a value of €0.15.
