May 29, 2013
China's domestic pig breeds decline in numbers
There is an 85% fall in the number of domestic pig breeds and 31 breeds are endangered, according to a study by the Oriental Outlook Weekly.
The report said that a majority of the pork that we consume today comes from so-called lean pigs, which are foreign breeds. From an economic point of view, pig farmers prefer the foreign breed as they grow faster than domestic ones. Local breeds, which contain more fat, are less in demand.
Last year, investment spent on protecting domestic breeds was RMB5.32 billion (US$868.75 million). Scientific research on studying pig breeding started in 2007 by the Ministry of Agriculture.
