April 26, 2007

Dutch research centre conducts study on alternatives for unsedated castration

The Wageningen University and Research Centre (WUR) in the Netherlands has started a study for alternative methods for unsedated castration of male piglets to ease the issue on animal welfare such as pains in castration as well as its expensive costs.

The country has been looking for a solution for the castration concerns since 2004.

The research will focus not only on a short-term solution as sedated castration by use of carbon dioxide (CO2), but also on what is called a 'long-term solution' of genetical selection which should make castration superfluous altogether.

Without castration, approximately 5 to 10 percent of meat from male pigs is spreading out a specific unpleasant smell which necessitates the use of castration.

For that reason, a method using low concentrations of CO2 for sedation - both painless and relatively cheap - will be assessed. University researchers say by far, this method has never been used or tested anywhere in the world.

For the long term, a boar taint solution will also be used in a combination of genetical selection, slaughter line detection and adapted feeding and housing.

The university's Animal Sciences Group (ASG) is working on several methods possibly enabling the removal of boar taint.

The group discovered a gene that is important in the production of boar taint and hopes to present clear information whether the gene has several varieties within a year.

A second method will use new technologies to enable scientists to utilise these varieties entirely.