September 15, 2002

For Immediate Release: National Swine Census Released

Important genetic diversity remains in the U.S. swine populations that warrants both research and conservation. Conservation begins with learning as much as possible about the resource to be conserved. The American Livestock Breeds Conservancy (ALBC) conducted the first comprehensive livestock breeds census in 1985 as a tool for understanding the scope of needed genetic conservation. While there is continuous monitoring of breed populations, a comprehensive survey is repeated about every five years. The results of the most recent ALBC comprehensive swine census are now available.

The rapid consolidation of the swine industry is perhaps the greatest threat to genetic diversity. Industrial strains are usually not characterized as breeds, but are selected for specific production characteristics in a controlled environment. Population data are not readily available on these strains since they are closely held by the corporations that have developed them.

While there is likely no immediate financial incentive to reverse the race to genetic uniformity in the industry, there are two compelling reasons for the conservation of current genetics. First, is the immediate need for the research and development of alternatives to intensive management systems. Extensive systems such as, deep litter, hoop houses, and pasturing can produce high-value specialty products. An even more compelling reason for the conservation of diversity is to maintain genetic options for the future, since we do not know the challenges yet to be faced in providing food security for the nation and the world.

American Spots, Berkshire, Chester, Duroc, Hampshire, Landrace, Poland China, and Yorkshire are all in genetically healthy numbers for conservation, however, there is a long-term decline in the number of registrations of the purebred swine; over 52% since the first ALBC Census in 1985, 44% since 1990, and 28% since 1995. This is no doubt due to several factors that have developed from the rapid consolidation of the swine industry. First, there are fewer farmers involved in raising seed stock as more pork is being produced, processed, and marketed by the huge, integrated corporations. Further, these companies have developed their own highly selected production lines rather than employing purebred seed stock developed and maintained by generations of farmers. What is interesting is that while Iowa and North Carolina are the two top pork producing states, purebred seed stock is overwhelmingly produced in Indiana and Illinois. Other Midwestern states produce significant purebred seed stock, North Carolina produces virtually none.

The Berkshire breed showed a great increase in registration numbers, increasing from about 15,000 in 1998 to nearly 40,000 in 2000/2001. This increase in numbers was fueled by Japanese import demands for the well-marbled meat produced by this breed, but has expanded as American chefs and others became increasingly concerned about quality, flavor, and texture of pork products. Yet to be discovered, is the same characteristic in several of the less well known breeds, especially the so-called British pasture or orchard pigs such as the Large Black, the Gloucestershire Old Spots, and the Saddleback breeds. Heritage American breeds such as Red Wattle, Guinea Hog, and Mulefoot swine are also alleged to demonstrate this characteristic.

While, the Chester White and Poland China were essentially unchanged from1999 to 2000/ 2001, their numbers have decreased by more than 25% over the past five years. At the same time, Hampshire and Yorkshire registrations showed dramatic declines in number, more than 30% during the past five years. Duroc and Landrace breeds show less drastic declines.

In addition to the pure breeds that have dominated the swine industry in the recent past, there remain less well known breeds that retain genetic characteristics or genomes that are, or may be, useful for alternative production systems or markets. Despite their limited number of registrations, the Hereford, Tamworth, and Large Black all showed increases in reproductive activity. These are the breeds that have been advocated by the American Livestock Breeds Conservancy and others supporting sustainable agriculture for use in outdoor, low-input, and organic pork production. There is increasing research to support the anecdotal information that these traditional breeds of swine retain the hardiness and foraging ability that can make them successful on pasture and in other low-input systems. Other less well-known breeds may be suited for pasture production, but require documentation. These include Red Wattle, Mulefoot, Gloucestershire Old Spots and Saddleback breeds. Choctaw, Guinea Hogs, and Vietnamese Potbelly pigs may have a part to play in homestead/small scale production. All three breeds are landraces (not to be confused with the Landrace breed) and do not have breed associations or registries.

Using the data collected in this census, and the criteria developed over the past 25 years by the American Livestock Breeds Conservancy, the following table was designed to draw attention to the breeds of swine most in need of conservation. The categories were established based on numbers of annual registration in the United States against a background of global populations.

Feral animals are domesticated animals that have returned to a free-living state. It is a fact of biology that the truly wild type and wild genetic strain are never again fully regained, but some feral animals do indeed approach the wild type. Feral animals are interesting because they have returned to a selection environment where nature rather than humans decide which ones reproduce and which ones succumb. Some feral populations are genetically distinct and usually come from a few founders. Others have much broader genetic variation due to constant infusion of new recruits from a wide variety of genetic sources. Ossabaw Island swine is one of a very few feral populations that qualify as breeds in the genetic sense of limited variability.