The aim of this project was to optimize and demonstrate the suitability of equipment and methodology currently developed in Norway, to enable non-surgical collection and transfer of embryo in pigs at a commercial level.
The possibility of using embryo technology in pig breeding will be beneficial for increasing biosecurity, animal welfare and genetic progress. This will also result in improved health status for pig populations when embryos instead of live animals can be transported around the world. Use of embryo technology in pig breeding has so far not been possible since equipment to flush the embryos from long uterine horns has not been present. This has been a challenge because of the anatomy of the sows which makes it difficult to get to the place where the embryos are located.
Within this project existing instruments from various disciplines and newly gained technical solutions were combined and optimized. Equipment needs to be optimized further to succeed with the project but we gained a lot of knowledge in different fields. Equipment was optimized and produced in collaboration with the NTNU and the methodology was tested and further improved at SEARCH/NMBU. Good protocols were established for an animal welfare friendly and hygienic methodology on farm that in the future hopefully gives the opportunity to commercialise embryo technology in pig breeding.
Oppnådde virkninger:
- Prosjektet har økt forskningssamarbeid med forskjellige universiteter (NTNU og SEARCH/NMBU).
- Utstyret har blitt forbedret. Vi jobber videre med å optimalisere dette, men vi har bygget opp mye kompetanse i forhold til kateterutvikling og etablert nettverket.
- Vi har etablert gode protokoller med tanke på hygiene, vi har visst at vi kan bruke utstyret og protokollene i en vanlig besetning uten problemer etter at vi flyttet fra forskningsfjøset til en vanlig grisebesetning.
- Vi har vist at embryoskylling og - overføring verken påvirker dyrene eller gir ubehag, og dette er en forutsetning for å ta i bruk metodikken.
- To patentsøknader ble sendt inn.
Potensielle virkninger
- Hvis genetikken kan distribueres med embryoer i stedet for levende dyr, resulterer det i;
- Mindre transport av levende dyr, som er bedre for dyrevelferd
- Økt biosikkerhet
- Mindre bruk av antibiotika for å behandle uspesifikke transportrelaterte sykdommer.
- Redusert karbonavtrykk knyttet til transport av dyr
- Økt genetisk framgang i svineavlen
- Integrering av de norske svinerasene i verdensomspennende svineproduksjon vil redusere behovet for fôr til svinekjøttproduksjon.
- Norsk kompetanse innen produksjon/innsamling av svinembryoer kan være en fordel for forskning innenfor humanmedisin med tanke på miljøtoksikologi og teratogene effekter med svineembryoer som modeller.
This project has as its main objective to demonstrate the methodology and equipment for non-surgical collection and transfer of embryo in pigs currently developed in Norway.
The main challenges lie within the anatomy of female reproductive organs in pigs with a large distance from the vulva to the deep regions of the uterine horns on both sides where early embryos can be reached. In addition, a high number of good quality embryos collected from donor sows are necessary per recipient in order to obtain a successful implantation and pregnancy, since in pigs this cannot be achieved with only a few vital embryos present in utero during the first few days post transfer.
Currently, no equipment or instrumentation is on the market solving these challenges and it is an additional challenge to assemble existing partial solutions and add newly gained technical solutions to make a animal welfare friendly, hygienic, time-saving and affordable set of instruments that after the project period can give the opportunity for commercialisation.