Summaries

Broeke, Alice Van den; Leen, Frederik; Aluwé, Marijke; Meensel, Jef Van; Millet, Sam

doi:10.1017/s2040470018000183

Cited by 3 publications

(6 citation statements)

References 35 publications

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“…Within a time interval of at least 4 weeks between the first and second vaccination [10]. After the first application of Improvac ® , some GnRH antibodies are already formed but their concentration is not sufficient to limit gonadal axis activity [35]. Within one week after the second vaccination, the production of GnRH antibodies increases markedly and suppresses testicular steroid synthesis and in consequence spermatogenesis [36,37].…”

Section: The Principle Of Immunocastrationmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…29% of these suspicious animals had androstenone values above 1 ppm and were classified as non-responders. A recent study by Kress and co-authors [35] hypothesized that a stressful unstable social environment could reduce the chance of adequate immunization. Even under intensive housing conditions and additional stress before and after the vaccinations, however, all immunocastrates showed a sufficient immune reaction with high GnRH antibody titers and low testicular steroid production.…”

Section: Reliability Of Immunocastrationmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Similarly, the meta-analyses by Batorek-Lukač and co-authors [23] and Nautrup and co-authors [46] show that immunocastration prevents boar taint effectively and is a reliable method. It seems that if the vaccine is handled and stored correctly, and if the manufacturer's vaccination recommendations are met, almost 100% of the vaccinated animals produce sufficient antibodies and react accordingly [35]. This, however, does not rule out that occasionally insufficient immunizations occur under practical conditions, e.g., if animals are vaccinated only once by accident.…”

Section: Reliability Of Immunocastrationmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The vaccination protocol also affects the percentage of immunocastrates with penile injuries: the percentage is low (16.7%) if animals are vaccinated early, and increases up to 41.7% if animals are vaccinated late [50]. A recent study by Kress and co-authors [35] suggests a reduction in aggressive behavior and in penile injuries in immunocastrates compared to boars regardless of their housing environment (stressful, conventional, outdoor access). Another question which requires a lot more research is the application of immunocastration to mature boars.…”

Section: Consequences Of Immunocastration For Animal Welfare Behaviomentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Immunocastration is highly controversial in international pork markets and globally rarely used in practice. There are however some international differences, while some countries reject the method completely [10,30], in other countries such as Brazil and Australia, immunocastration is already widely used with more than 50% of all male pigs vaccinated [10,34,109]. Based on a press release by Zoetis in June 2018, more than 2.5 million doses of the vaccine Improvac ® are sold each month worldwide [110].…”

Section: Consequences Of Immunocastration For Economymentioning

confidence: 99%

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Sustainability of Pork Production with Immunocastration in Europe

et al. 2019

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Immunocastration, a technique to replace surgical castration of piglets, consists of two consecutive vaccinations to induce antibodies which transiently suppress testicular functions and avoid boar taint. It is a method to ensure both a high product quality and a high level of animal welfare. The impact of immunocastration on the three pillars of sustainability has been studied extensively. While all aspects of sustainability have been studied separately, however, a contemporary global overview of different aspects is missing. In immunocastrates, performance results are better than in barrows, but worse than in boars. The environmental impact of pork production with immunocastrates is lower than with barrows, but higher than with boars. The level of aggression is considerably lower in immunocastrates compared to boars. Societal concerns are mainly related to food safety, and are not supported by scientific evidence. After second vaccination, immunocastrates switch from a boar- to a barrow-like status. Therefore, the timing of second vaccination is a fine-tuning tool to balance advantages of boars with environmental and economic benefits against increased risk of welfare problems and boar taint. Nevertheless, both synergic and conflicting relationships between the pillars of sustainability must be communicated along the value chain to produce tailored pork products.

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Section: The Principle Of Immunocastrationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Reliability Of Immunocastrationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Reliability Of Immunocastrationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Consequences Of Immunocastration For Animal Welfare Behaviomentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Consequences Of Immunocastration For Economymentioning

confidence: 99%

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Sustainability of Pork Production with Immunocastration in Europe

et al. 2019

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The Economic Impact of German Pig Carcass Pricing Systems and Risk Scenarios for Boar Taint on the Profitability of Pork Production with Immunocastrates and Boars

Kress

Verhaagh

2019

Agriculture

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From 2021 onwards, surgical castration of male piglets without pain relief will be banned in Germany. In Europe, stakeholders have committed themselves to end piglet castration from 2018 onwards. Alternatives to surgical castration are pork production with boars or immunocastrates. The competitiveness of these production systems is required to increase their market acceptance. The aim of this study was to test the profitability of pork production with boars and immunocastrates under different carcass pricing systems and penalty systems linked to boar taint. The calculations were based on the performance parameters of 36 animals (n = 12 immunocastrates, n = 12 boars, n = 12 barrows) from an experimental study. In order to analyze the economic effects of both alternatives under different regional German production systems, the performance data were set in relation to the data of agri benchmark. Both boars and immunocastrates performed economically worse than barrows in all the scenarios tested. If immunocastrates are sold according to the boar pricing system, the profitability of this technique is even lower, but still more profitable than boar fattening. Pork production with boars is the most unprofitable alternative in this study and will be further devalued if a penalty system linked to boar taint will be introduced.

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Pork Production with Entire Males: Directions for Control of Boar Taint

Squires

Bone

Cameron

2020

Animals

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Boar taint is caused by the accumulation of androstenone and skatole and other indoles in the fat; this is regulated by the balance between synthesis and degradation of these compounds and can be affected by a number of factors, including environment and management practices, sexual maturity, nutrition, and genetics. Boar taint can be controlled by immunocastration, but this practice has not been accepted in some countries. Genetics offers a long-term solution to the boar taint problem via selective breeding or genome editing. A number of short-term strategies to control boar taint have been proposed, but these can have inconsistent effects and there is too much variability between breeds and individuals to implement a blanket solution for boar taint. Therefore, we propose a precision livestock management approach to developing solutions for controlling taint. This involves determining the differences in metabolic processes and the genetic variations that cause boar taint in specific groups of pigs and using this information to design custom treatments based on the cause of boar taint. Genetic, proteomic or metabolomic profiling can then be used to identify and implement effective solutions for boar taint for specific populations of animals.

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Summaries

Abstract: Boar taint-the effects of selected candidate genes associated with androstenone and skatole levels-a review. Animal science papers and reports 34, 107-127.

Cited by 3 publications

References 35 publications

Sustainability of Pork Production with Immunocastration in Europe

Sustainability of Pork Production with Immunocastration in Europe

The Economic Impact of German Pig Carcass Pricing Systems and Risk Scenarios for Boar Taint on the Profitability of Pork Production with Immunocastrates and Boars

Pork Production with Entire Males: Directions for Control of Boar Taint

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