Meat production and returns of pig crosses with specific quality characteristics as compared to present standard and quality label market supplies

Main deficiencies of labelled pork supply in Germany are the high variabili ty in the lean meat content, the proportion of valuable cuts and in importa nt criteria of meat quality. Genetic causes for the lacking uniformity are besides management effects the different sire lines used and a variable MHS -status of final products. The increasing consumer demand for better qualit y in products and production methods requires higher standardisation in man ufacture and package industry, and upcoming new pig carcass grading schemes like the Danish autofom-system force breeders to think about better adapte d crossbreds. For this purpose, a field experiment was planned, where the p rogeny of six boar lines were compared in quantitative carcass and in meat quality traits and an economical comparison was calculated. The progeny of the Pi-boars are leading in quantitative carcass traits and in returns within the present "North-West"-price mask. The advantage of onl y 0,02 DM/kg carcass weight and about 2 DM/pig in returns for progeny of th e homozygote stress susceptible Pi-boars (the present standard product on t he German market) is small. In quantitative carcass traits the progeny of t he present meat quality standard boar Pi.Ha (NP) show similar net gains and reduced returns of about 4 to 6 DM/pig compared to the Pi-progeny. The poo rest in quantitative carcass traits and in returns are the progeny of both Danish boar lines particularly the Du-boars. Even with a high economic weig ht for net gain the loss in returns cannot be compensated completely. A similar ranking of all sire lines is found in the premium paid by the,,Ba uernsiegel" meat quality programme. Compared with the PSE-frequencies found by LAUBE (1999) for the six final products, this premium payment system is contra productive, because it favours indirectly pigs with poorer meat qua lity over their fat and muscle depths instead of honouring the good meat qu ality of homozygote stress resistant progeny. With a quality penalty of 15 DM per PSE-carcass the homozygote stress resistant Pi (NN)-boars would beco me economically competitive. Their progeny would reach returns of about 4 D M/pig over the progeny of the German crossbred boars and the Danish product s. Under such premium conditions the homo- or heterozygote stress susceptib le boars would not be competitive anymore.