Pig feeds study

Press, Volume CXIV, Issue 33454, 8 February 1974, Page 7

Pig feeds study

The Pig Research Centre at Massey University is currently evaluating the nutritional value of various commercial pig feeds. The evaluation is part of a co-operative project involving the Pork Industry 1 Council, Massey University, Lincoln College and the Consumers’ Institute.

The project has been underwritten by the Pork Industry Council and started last" year with a survey of demand and users’ opinions. This was conducted by the, Market Research Centre at Massey in association with the council. Results from this survey were then used to select the seven feeds now being investigated. Mr Graham Pearson, research officer at the centre, said that the commercial feeds are being compared with a barley-based control ration, prepared by staff at the Feed Processing Centre at the university. Eleven litter groups of Landrace — Large White cross pigs are being used in the trial, which began when the animals reached 20kg. Each pig in the litter will be allocated one of the eight feeds at random and will continue on this feed until its liveweight reaches 50kg. The growth rate over the trial period is being recorded and the feed con-

i version efficiency is also c being measured. When the! - pigs are killed for bacon at! I 50kg. carcase quality Will' - be assessed by introscope' i measurement of fat thick-! i ness. Representative samples • of the feeds will be taken ; for analysis, and in addis tion the metabolism facil- - ities at the university will be used to determine the . apparent digestible energy of each feed. 1 Mr John Carr, director of i the pig research centre, 1 said that an evaluation t such as this is very imJ portant to an industry that is suffering from a protein f shortage, now that supplies » of skim milk or whey are I no longer available. ' Chemical evaluation of 1 the feeds begins shortly. This will be done by the ’ biochemistry department at Lincoln College and the 1 Massey Pig Research ' Centre. An economic eval-j uation will be followed by; » a final report, which the - Consumers’ institute has ■ agreed to publish.