Boar taint and aggressive behavior not closely linked, study finds

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  Andrea Gantz

  A recent study from Wageningen University examined links between boar taint and aggressive or mounting behaviors.

  From WATTAgNet:
  Selecting on less boar taint does not automatically mean selecting on less mounting and aggressive behavior in boars, according to research at Wageningen University’s Swine Innovation Centre Sterksel (SIC) and a commercial pig farm.
  The EU has proposed ending surgical castration of male piglets in 2018 and beyond. However, the quality of meat from some intact males is negatively influenced by odor and taste, referred to as boar taint. By using boars with a low breeding value for boar taint, the percentage of boars with boar taint at the slaughter house can be reduced by 40 percent. This was investigated by measuring the behavior and boar taint in offspring of boars and sows with respectively a high or a low breeding value for boar taint.
  The breeding value for boar taint had no effect on mounting behavior of the boars, according to the study. Also, there was no relationship between mounting behavior and boar taint. The effect of the breeding value for boar taint on aggressive behavior of the boars is not clear. Aggressive behavior was lower at SIC Sterksel but higher on the commercial pig farm in boars with a low breeding value for boar taint. There was no relationship between aggressive behavior and boar taint.