Author:

Keywords:

boar, castration, slaughterhouse, Belgium

Abstract:

In preparation to the European ban on surgical castration of male piglets on 1th January 2018, Belgian slaughterhouses were questioned about their current use of boar taint detection methods and their future perspectives. Slaughterhouses were selected on basis of their annual number of slaughtered pigs, which should be at least 10 200. This criterion was fulfilled by 19 out of 38 pork slaughterhouses in Belgium. Ten of them were interested to participate and questionnaires were sent and filled in by 8 slaughterhouses. Following topics were asked for: - Number of intact / immunocastrated boars slaughtered each week + reasons for this - Presence of a boar taint detection system and its characteristics - Requirements for a boar taint detection system if not present yet - Destination of carcasses with boar taint Six out of 8 slaughterhouses accepted intact or immunocastrated boars and the numbers of these animals per week ranged from 180 to 3200 for individual slaughterhouses. Based on numbers of weekly slaughterings of all male pigs, 3.3% were intact boars and 4.9% immunocastrated boars. Main reasons for the decision of slaughtering intact or immunocastrated boars is on demand of the customer. One of the 2 abattoirs slaughtering only castrated males does not consider to change its strategy in the future because of a lack of a potential market. The other will change its strategy in 2014. The results of the questionnaire indicated a clear need for a reliable boar taint detection system which should score on a 2-point scale; presence of absence of boar taint. It should be preferably located immediately after veterinary inspection at the slaughter line. Results should be reported to the pig producer. Other preferred characteristics of a future detection system should be: - easy adaptation to changing boar taint parameters; - easy to clean and safe; - no interference with food safety; - full automatic; - acceptable for customers buying the intact boar meat; - results available immediately after analysis. Only 2 slaughterhouses currently used a boar taint detection system, which twice was the sensory method. Both abattoirs analyze all intact males, one does the analysis on the carcass, the other in the laboratory. Slaughterhouses abilities to change over towards more weekly slaughtering of intact boars is mainly controlled by the consumers market. The absence of reliable boar taint detection systems at the slaughterhouse acts as a brake. Notwithstanding these limitations, Belgium has a unique position in Western-Europe as the only country marketing intact boars and immunocastrates.