Context

The sustainability of pig production requires making more efficient use of resources and reducing its environmental impact, and doing so in parallel with improving production performance and the resilience of pig populations. In response to these challenges, this project was born from the shared interests of the five pig breeding companies that make up the Catalan Association of Select Pig Breeders (ACCBPS) to improve the environmental and economic sustainability of pig production with the different crosses derived from their purebred lines. The ultimate goal is to develop knowledge, tools and strategies to optimise the use of resources and reduce the environmental impact in different pig genetics. The project will characterise in a certified way and in a controlled environment the potential of the different crossings in relation to resource efficiency and pollutant emissions and will assess the carbon footprint and water footprint. In addition, the mitigating effect of genetic selection for feed efficiency will be analysed, innovative nutritional strategies will be tested and predictive models of the environmental footprint in different scenarios will be developed. In this way the project will contribute to mitigation and also adaptation to climate change, reducing the carbon footprint and water footprint, and to a better economic balance of pig production.