A Pig Breed Evaluation Program to compare boars available on the Irish market and their suitability for use as terminal sires for the production of slaughter pigs has ranked Robert Overend's herd at Bellaghy one of the top performing herds in Ireland and has evaluated the extra Deerpark performance to be worth more than £6 ($10) per pig.
The program which enables commercial pig producers to identify top terminal sires, was carried out at Moorepark Research Centre in Cork and the National Food Centre in Dublin. Seven of the top herds in Ireland accepted the challenge.
Each breeder was asked to supply semen from 20 boars to inseminate 100 sows from one genotype and the report indicates that comparison of fertility from suppliers was not an objective of the testing program. Deerpark was delighted that at an average of 11.94 pigs born/litter and the highest conception rate of 85% their excellent semen produced 173 more pigs than some of the semen provided by other breeders.
In the overall weaner period there were significant differences in daily gain ranging from 510g/day to the highest figure of 545g' day for the Deerpark herd. Feed Conversion Efficiency ranged from Deerpark's low of 1.44 to 1.52.
At the finishing stage Deerpark pigs topped the kill out percentage with a high of 76.3% compared to the lowest figure of 75.5%.
Overall from birth to slaughter the daily liveweight gain ranged from 598g/day to Deerpark's 615g/day. Deerpark still held this lead in the weaning to slaughter stage with a daily gain of 697g/day compared to the lowest figure of 664g/day and maintained the lead in the carcass measurements with a top muscle depth of 54.7mm compared to the lowest figure of 51.9mm.
When the pigs were individually monitored the Deerpark performance was again evident taking the smallest number of days to slaughter, and the best daily gain and feed conversion efficiency in the weaner stages. They also took the smallest number of days from weaning to slaughter and their carcasses had a backfat depth of only 11.8mm compared to a high of 13.5.
The final proof of the performance was the dissection of the carcass and here the Deerpark pigs scored again since the most useful parts were the heaviest. Eg. The percentage of meat in the hind legs was 75% and the dissected meat as a percentage of the side of the pigs was 55.75% compared to a low of 52.1 %.
An independent economic evaluation of the data reckons pigs sired from Deerpark lines to be worth in excess of £6 ($10) more to the producer, based on daily gain, food conversion efficiency and %leanmeat.
