Continuing the domestication of the pig. Who pays?

Abstract

Genetic improvement methods in pigs are moving beyond the measurement of growth rate and backfat in response to more sophisticated demands by consumers of pork products and the ever present need of the producer to reduce costs. Methods of measuring new traits and incorporating them in pig improvement programs are expensive. Who will pay for the research and development costs of including these traits in a program? A case is made for continuing public support for R&D for the Australian pig breeding industry