Dr. Jim Squires of the University of Guelph says Europeans
are showing interest in his decades-long research into boar taint.
In 2018, a European ban on castrating hogs takes effect, so
farmers are keenly interested in alternatives.
Squires began researching boar taint as soon as he joined
the faculty at the University of Guelph in the 1980s, mainly because farmers
wanted to avoid castration until males grew older and larger and it would be
easier to identify the best to keep as herd sires.
Intact males also gain weight faster, yield leaner pork and
are therefore more profitable.
On the down side is the offensive odour that some pork from
mature males gives off when it’s cooked and the aggression among males held
together in pens.
Squires’ research now is focused on the genes that influence
the production of chemicals that give rise to boar taint. He has found genetic
markers that identify boars that will have little or no boar-taint substance.
He has found that the Duroc breed has a higher incidence of
taint than Yorkshire and Landrace.
Durocs are widely used as the sires of the
pigs that are raised for pork. Landrace and Yorkshire pigs are commonly
cross-bred to produce the sows that raise market hogs.
Squires has found there are some Durocs that, even at 100
kilograms maturity, have little boar-taint substance, so he is optimistic that
commercial producers could raise market hogs without having to castrate the
males.
He is currently involved in a 3,000-hog trial that involves
the use of the genetic markers to identify Durocs, Landrace and Yorkshire boars
that will sire offspring with little or no boar-taint substances at 100
kilograms.
His research is funded by the Canadian Centre for Swine
Improvement which is an organization created to provide genetic-improvement
services to Canadian hog breeders.
The Canadian Centre for Swine Improvement has been a leader
in researching and applying genetics to improve the quality of pork, the
ability of pigs to naturally counter diseases and to improve the efficiency of
hog production.
