The alliance aims to develop precision breeding technology that results in male piglets born naturally castrated. When successful, it will have a major impact on swine health and well-being. This project is also backed by a grant from The US Department of Agriculture’s Foundation for Food and Agriculture Research and The Open Philanthropy Project.

Precision breeding technologies will provide solutions for pork producers

Today, male piglets are routinely castrated to improve the quality of meat for consumers. Castration not only avoids “boar taint”, an unpleasant odour and an unsavoury taste, but also impacts the animal’s well-being. Precision breeding technology aims to provide real solution for pork producers to eliminate the need for castrations.

Recombinetics, a pioneer in genetic solutions for animal agriculture and human health, developed a precision breeding method resulting in male piglets that remain in a pre-pubertal state. To determine the commercial viability of castration-free pigs, the alliance will investigate best practices for recovery of puberty and fertility, without compromising traits such as feed efficiency and meat quality.

“Recombinetics has a proven track record of bringing science-based solutions that improve animal health and well-being, like producing naturally hornless and heat-tolerant cattle, and eliminating the need for routine castration of swine. We welcome Hendrix Genetics as a research partner to this alliance. Together we will bring the castration-free trait to market and provide solutions to benefit the pork industry,” said Recombinetics’ Chief Commercial and Scientific Officer, Mitchell Abrahamsen.

Advancing on many fronts

Precision breeding is offering real solutions and creating enormous value for the agriculture industry. Aside from this application in swine it has also been used with other animals, for example in cattle it has been successful in not just promoting cattle to be naturally born hornless, but heat resistant as well.

Eliminating the need for producers to de-horn cattle or castrate swine both creates value and improves productivity, but also has a large impact on the welfare and well-being of livestock. This initiative is important for Hendrix Genetics, as we are at the beginning of the protein value chain and these kinds of projects allow us to add value that ripple far down the line.

“As Hendrix Genetics, we are very excited to be part of this alliance. The targeted result will potentially put an end to one of the biggest concerns of the swine industry with regard to animal well-being. Within Hypor, our swine business unit, we are continuously exploring new opportunities to support the pork value chain with innovative and sustainable genetic solutions,” said Luis Prieto Garcia, Hendrix Genetics Managing Director Swine.

Hendrix Genetics is committed to responsible farm animal breeding. We strive to meet growing global demands for food by supporting animal protein producers worldwide with innovative and sustainable genetic solutions. New technologies such as those targeted in this alliance can be part of our future solutions. While delivering benefits to producers, our solutions must also meet the rigorous needs of consumers and society. Passionately driven to achieve global leadership in animal genetics, we also aim to contribute towards setting global industry standards.

As reported by Hypor (Hendrix Genetics)

_{Founded in 2008, Recombinetics is producing gene-edited animals for biomedical and food production purposes and is generating commercial and collaborative revenues. The Company’s technology platform supports three business lines: Acceligen (precision breeding to enhance animal health, well-being and productivity in food animals); Surrogen (gene-edited swine models of human diseases for biomedical research and pre-clinical trials by pharmaceutical and medical device companies); and Regenevida (development of human regenerative products including cells, tissues and organ products in swine models for exotransplantation to humans).}

_{Recombinetics has a global intellectual property portfolio, with 18 patents issued and more than 200 patent filings on gene-editing methods, traits, and novel reproduction methods in animals.
Learn more at Recombinetics.com.}

^{Hypor is one of the world's leading suppliers of pig genetics. Committed to providing superior genetics that supports profitability in the pork value chain. With its Head Office located in Boxmeer, The Netherlands, Hypor has strategically-located and interconnected breeding centers in North America, Europe and Asia. More information is available at www.hypor.com}

^{Hypor is part of Hendrix Genetics, a leading multi-species breeding company with primary activities in layer-, turkey-, swine-, aquaculture -and traditional poultry breeding. Headquartered in Boxmeer, in The Netherlands, Hendrix Genetics provides expertise and resources to producers in more than 100 countries, with operations and joint ventures in more than 35 countries and more than 2.800 employees worldwide. More information is available at www.hendrix-genetics.com}