May 11, 2021

 

South Africa tackles 'boar taint' following complaints of foul tasting pork

There were recently complaints of foul tasting and smelling pork in South Africa, according to the country's Department of Agriculture, Rural Development and Land Reform. 

 

Known as boar taint, the phenomenon refers to pork meat from male pigs who have reached puberty before slaughtering. It is caused by the production of specific chemical substances produced by male pigs who have sexually matured.

 

The government now wants to introduce official regulations to reduce boar taint. In an advisory issued last April, the department said there had been "consumer complaints" regarding boar taint, adding "some consumers are very sensitive to boar taint."

 

Current regulations address the issue of boar taint in the sale of meat, but not in how it is produced, and this is the regulatory gap that the department aims to resolve.

 

Among the proposed solutions to the problem are the introduction of "sniffers", either human or electronic, to separate the tainted carcasses from the untainted ones. The weights of carcasses could be cut to reduce the incidents of boar taint, so that only young carcasses end up being sold, or carcasses which could be tainted could be marked as such before being sold.

 

Internationally, male pigs are typically castrated to eliminate the risk of boar taint. However, most countries don't allow this to be done without anaesthesia, making it an expensive exercise for farmers. Additionally, castrated pigs are generally less healthy than non-castrated ones, according to research released by the department.

 

The South African Pork Producers Association (SAPPO) said boar taint prevention is common practice among pork producers and it doesn't understand the department's motivations to introduce regulations now.

 

Peter Evans, head of consumer assurance at SAPPO, said at least 70% of farm born pigs are already on SAPPO's Pork 360 programme, a quality assurance system that is compulsory for members.

 

"What they're (the department) proposing is something that's already in practice," said Evans. It's therefore not clear where the "consumer complaints" are coming from, he added.

 

In South Africa, castration is uncommon, and most pig farmers do not market animals slaughtered later than 22 weeks of age, according to Evans.

- Business Insider South Africa