Forage Consumption and Its Effects on the Performance of Growing Swine—Discussed in Relation to European Wild Boar (Sus scrofa L.) in Semi-Extensive Systems: A Review

Abstract

Due to its distinct properties, wild boar meat is considered a highly desirable consumer product, in a market that is expanding. Outdoor production is also favoured by consumers who value animal welfare and environmental sustainability when choosing meat products. There is evidence that farms that include pasture for grazing typically have reduced feeding costs. Such production systems can also be more environmentally sustainable as the input (pasture) is inedible to humans, compared to conventional indoor systems, which use human-edible feeds (e.g., soya). However, some wild boar farms have performed poorly compared to those rearing other swine such as hybrid wild boar and domestic pigs. Diet is central to all livestock production and is likely a significant influencing factor of wild boar performance, both in terms of forage consumption and nutritional composition. Other factors may also influence performance, such as weather, behaviour and grazing management. Wild boar production systems hold their own intrinsic value in a growing marketplace. However, information gathered through the study of wild boar has external applications in informing outdoor domestic pig production systems to encourage the use of pasture as part of the habitat of domestic pigs.

Preserving for the future the — once widespread but now vanishing — knowledge on traditional pig grazing in forests and marshes (Sava-Bosut floodplain, Serbia)

“…Studies on recent extensive pig grazing, however, are scarce [6,7,[23][24][25], and most often document the dehesa system with Iberian pigs kept in wood-pastures and dry grasslands (e.g. [26][27][28]). There is a huge knowledge gap regarding how free-ranging domestic pigs forage in semi-natural areas (forests, grasslands, marshes) and what ecological knowledge pig keepers possess (need) in such areas.…”

A Comparison of Stocking Methods for Pasture-Based Growing-Finishing Pig Production Systems

“…Differences in botanical composition of paddocks grazed by pigs have been previously reported [ 57 ]. Those differences could be partly attributed to the selective grazing behavior exerted by pigs on pasture which tend to select certain plants and moreover parts within a plant [ 58 ], leaving the less preferred species to dominate the stand [ 52 ]. Similarly, replacement of the dominant plant species by annual vegetation due to the impact of pigs rooting on species composition have been reported previously [ 56 ].…”

Sperm Nuclei Analysis and Nuclear Organization of a Fertile Boar–Pig Hybrid by 2D FISH on Both Total and Motile Sperm Fractions

“…For this reason, the European Commission (EC) aims to preserve the purebred animals registered in the herdbook, avoiding the reproduction of hybrid-derived invasive species. In the last few years, about one million WB have populated Italy [ 15 ], leading to negative consequences for free-range pig farming, the best practice for pig welfare and a common Italian method for farming several autochthonous pig breeds [ 16 ], such as Nero Siciliano (NS).…”