Genetic foundation of AutoFOM-traits

Since the beginning of the year 2000 the payment system of pig carcasses in some slaughter houses in northwest Germany is based on the recordings of t he fully automated carcass classification system AutoFOM. Besides legal inf ormation 'estimated lean meat percentage' relative exact details of the wei ghts of important valuable cuts are available. Genetic parameters of the Au toFOM lean carcass cut information, ham-, chop-, shoulder- and belly weight s as well as lean meat percentage of the belly cut were estimated. Using th e field data of the pig breeding organisations BHZP (n=2224) and SNW (n=360 1) the estimated heritabilities of these carcass cuts vary between 0.13 and 0.27 (BHZP) and 0.13 and 0.31 (SNW), respectively. The estimated heritabil ities of the AutoFOM carcass traits of station-tested pigs were more pronou nced for the dam lines German Landrace and Large White (n=1693) and Pietrai n AI-boars mated to F1 sows (n=1053). The estimates ranged from 0.27 to 0.5 9 (dam lines) and 0.05 to 0.40 (Pi At-boars), respectively. Using the recor ds of station tested purebred Pietrain pigs (n=1693) the heritabilities of the AutoFOM carcass cuts did not exceed 0.10. The genetic correlation betwe en the different AutoFOM carcass traits exceed the absolute value of 0.8. I n a similar way, the genetic correlation between the 'estimated lean meat p ercentage' used in the test station and the AutoFOM carcass traits were clo se to unity. We concluded that AutoFOM traits of slaughter pigs provide a u seful information for the selection of AI-boars. Moreover, with regard to t he station testing of dam lines AutoFOM carcass informations derived from A utoFOM are a useful supplementation. Because of the low heritability, only a marginal additional benefit could be expected for the genetic ranking of Pi-boars using AutoFOM carcass cut records of purebred station tested proge nies.