Bridging genetics and nutrition for improved feed efficiency and sustainability of pig production.

By improving feed efficiency, the same amount of product can be produced for less input of feed. This results in reduced costs of production, but also reduces the environmental footprint. Improving feed efficiency will have an impact on both sustainability and competitiveness of production, and positively impacting national food security and self-sufficiency. In FUTUREPIG we combine knowledge from the fields of genetics and nutrition to understand the complexity of feed efficiency. We will examine how stable isotopes, which measure the cumulative efficiency over the animals’ entire life, can be used to improve the nutritional evaluation of feed ingredients for pigs. Traditionally, such assessments relied on respiration chamber results, a technology scarcely available and very expensive. This innovative approach empowers the feed industry to enhance production efficiency by optimizing the use of ingredients. Further, we will investigate the genetic basis of feed efficiency measured with stable isotopes to improve selection in breeding programs. This approach is applicable even to crossbred varieties in commercial environments, minimizing the gap between elite breeding genetics and crossbred genetics in national swine herds. Lastly, we will holistically evaluate the effect of genetic gain and different diets from locally sourced ingredients on the overall sustainability of Norwegian pig production, by using Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) methods.

FUTURE PIG aims to increase the knowledge on how to improve feed efficiency in animal production by use of the pig as a model animal. One approach is breeding and selection, where one will utilize stable isotopes and tissue sampling from slaughter at abattoirs to identify efficient animals i.e, animals with a level of isotopes more similar to the feed. The stable isotopes measure the cumulative efficiency over the animals’ entire life, which can be obtained also in crossbreds, and by that one will be able to by-pass any genotype by environment interaction, i.e., that the genetic gain at the test station only to some degree will be realized in commercial production. In FUTURE PIG one will also use stable isotopes with the aim to determine the net energy of the feed used for maintenance and growth and to determine the loss due to heat increment, as a difference to the metabolizable energy. The corresponding values have been based on respiration chamber results, which is a technology that now is hardly available, making it difficult to test new, local feed ingredients and diets. By utilizing stable isotopes, and having access to updated values, the feed industry will be able to improve feed efficiency of production, by a more adapted and optimal use of feed ingredients. Life cycle assessment of feed ingredients and weighting of traits in the breeding goal will be carried out. The latter will require the development of novel approaches in which the genetic model will be a sub-model of the overarching systemic modeling of pig production.