PIC, a global leader in swine genetics, has launched the PIC800, a new gold standard for Duroc terminal sires. The PIC800 is bred to maximize profit for pork producers who value Duroc traits such as robustness, growth, and pork quality.
The PIC800 is the result of many years of PIC investment and focus on its Duroc line, including a six-fold increase in the nucleus population size since 2013, aimed at improved selection intensity and availability.
In the same period, PIC implemented relationship-based genomics to be able to improve performance across multiple traits simultaneously. These investments have accelerated genetic gain and that gain is now visible in our customers’ commercial farms.
Matt Culbertson, PIC’s global director of product development, said that PIC continues to invest in the Duroc. This summer PIC has started to directly select for eating satisfaction (tenderness) and primal carcass cuts in addition to using indicator traits such as pH, loin depth and backfat. This will further drive genetic improvement and maximize total carcass value.
Additionally, on July 2, PIC entered into a strategic relationship with Møllevang, a premier nucleus breeder of Duroc, Large White and Landrace lines in Denmark. The relationship combines PIC’s and Møllevang’s complementary supply chains, sales and marketing infrastructure, and genetics for the benefit of pig producers globally.
“Over the last years, we have invested significantly in our Duroc,”, said Mr. Culbertson. “We have seen an acceleration of growth rates while other value-creating traits such as feed conversion, mortality, and pH continued to improve. We expect that the investments we are doing this summer will lead to further differentiation in the years to come.”
