Diversity in Pig Production

 

 

The EU pork production is facing three major farm-level challenges:

• Increasing rejection of intensive production systems by society at large, due to environmental and animal welfare problems
• The competitiveness of pig production in EU on the world market of bulk meat is decreasing
• There is a threat of loss of diversity and locally adapted production systems due to economic pressure

In Q-PorkChains these challenges are addressed by analyzing and optimizing existing production systems to enhance their reactivity to market and societal demands. It is anticipated that increased diversification and flexibility will enable the design of various production systems better suited to local conditions and the specific market segment.

 

Market segments led to large diversity

The various preferences for product specifications shown by different market segments in Europe today have led to a large diversity in the European production and processing systems. The diversity arises from the pork markets’ need of being competitive i.e. finding the most efficient way of adding value, thus fulfilling consumer and societal demands effectively and at minimal costs.

 

In Q-PorkChains different studies have been performed in order to investigate the different aspects of diversity in the pig production. Read about diversity in the production and niche pork chains.