title: Farm and management characteristics associated with boar taint.
abstract: Pig farms in the Netherlands producing boars have different levels of boar taint prevalence, as assessed by sensory evaluation with the human nose at the slaughter line. With a questionnaire to 152 Dutch pig producers (response rate 59%), farm and management characteristics were identified that are potentially associated with farm-level boar taint prevalence. Lower farm-level boar taint prevalence was associated with a smaller group size, a smaller pen surface per boar, newer housing equipment, not practicing restricted feeding in the last period before delivery, a longer fasting period before slaughter, a higher stocking weight and a lower fraction of boars from purebred dam line sows or from Pietrain terminal boars. These characteristics can be used to develop farm-level intervention strategies to control boar taint. More research effort is needed to establish causal relationships.
authors.affiliation: 1 LEI Wageningen UR, PO Box 29703, 2502 LS, Den Haag, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: C P A
authors.initials: CP
authors.lastname: van Wagenberg
authors.forename: H M
authors.initials: HM
authors.lastname: Snoek
authors.forename: J B
authors.initials: JB
authors.lastname: van der Fels
authors.forename: C M C
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: van der Peet-Schwering
authors.forename: H M
authors.initials: HM
authors.lastname: Vermeer
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Heres
mesh_terms: D000738:Androsterone / Q000378:metabolism*; D000822:Animal Husbandry / Q000379:methods*; D000818:Animals; D006799:Housing, Animal; D008297:Male; D008460:Meat / Q000032:analysis*; D009426:Netherlands; D009812:Odorants; D012862:Skatole / Q000378:metabolism*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D034421:Sus scrofa / Q000502:physiology*
chemical_list: D012862:Skatole; D000738:Androsterone