Abstract
Simple SummaryOutdoor-reared European wild boar (Sus Scrofa L.) is regarded as a delicacy by consumers due to its favourable meat properties and an association with high welfare standards. The rearing of wild boar on pasture has the potential to minimise input costs relative to conventional production systems. However, some pasture production systems have been found to perform poorly due to low growth rates. This review collates the available scientific evidence on pasture-based production of wild boar and domestic pigs, to identify factors that influence feed intake, performance, and behaviour. Factors explored include season/weather, dietary supplementation, grazing management, forage availability, herbage quality, and sward type. For example, the additional feed availability associated with pasture grazing has been shown to be a significant factor that positively correlates with dry matter intake of wild boar. This has been demonstrated to result in better feed conversion efficiency and reduced feed costs without reductions in growth rates compared to animals without access to pasture. Furthermore, the increased availability of favoured species in pasture may also promote dry matter intake. The long-term sustainability of wild boar production is dependent on the economic, social, and environmental viability of the systems. Pasture-based production systems may be one way by which this can be achieved, but only if implemented correctly.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.
Highlights
Wild boar meat has a unique taste and texture profile, making it a delicacy, in Europe, and across Asia, North America, and South America [1,2]
Outdoor pig production systems based on high nutrient intake from pasture are considered more sustainable compared to indoor systems that are typically dependent on high inputs of cereals and soya [12,13]
The time spent in grazing activities reached 42%, concentrated in the first 3 h on pasture, with no rooting activity occurred, most likely due to a drier and harder soil [62]. This is supported by recent research by Hodgkinson et al [6] who found that during summer snout-ringed wild boar spent over 40% of their time grazing, whereas domestic pigs spent only around 13% of their time grazing under the same system
Summary
Wild boar meat has a unique taste and texture profile, making it a delicacy, in Europe, and across Asia, North America, and South America [1,2]. Outdoor pig production systems based on high nutrient intake from pasture are considered more sustainable compared to indoor systems that are typically dependent on high inputs of cereals and soya [12,13] Such crops are fit for human consumption and the feeding of them to animals represents an inefficient use of the resources used to produce them. The target daily live weight gain for wild boar is typically 150–200 g/d, semi-extensive farms regularly fall short of this [17] and age at target slaughter weight (45–50 kg) is typically six to seven months This low growth rate can be mainly attributed to genetic growth potential since the wild genotype of swine has evolved to survive in limiting environments, faster growth rates and greater nutrients requirements might represent a disadvantage [6]. The current review includes recent studies of growing-finishing pigs and wild boar offered a limited level of supplementary concentrate to complement the herbage consumed by grazing pastures
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