Production systems and feeding of local breeds of pigs in Republic of Serbia

Abstract

In recent years, the popularity of local pig breeds has increased in the Republic of Serbia. Local pig breeds such as Mangalitza, Moravka and Resavka, have again found their place in rural households and in the overall biodiversity of Serbia. Their increasing number led to a diversity of production systems and feeding types. They ranged from fully intensive systems with commercial mixtures to completely extensive without supplementing any additional feed except what the animals find on the ground. Aim of this study was to determine the differentiation of these systems by region and to examine the differences between them. We classified all these production systems into six categories: intensive systems using commercial mixtures, intensive systems using cereals, vegetables and fruits as the main feed, semi-intensive systems using commercial mixtures, semi-intensive systems using cereals, vegetables and fruits as the main feed, extensive systems using cereals, vegetables and fruits as supplemental feed and completely extensive systems. We studied the main advantages and disadvantages of these systems, including economic factors. The results showed extreme differences, especially in animal size, investment, and economic aspects. Contrary to wide opinion the lowest investments were on farms with fully intensive systems because they used old concrete buildings that were used for commercial breeds in the past. On the other hand, breeders with full extensive systems have made the most investments, considering the cost of the land. The size of the animals and the type of feed used were in positive correlation. Animals fed commercial mixtures were almost double in size and weight than those raised in fully extensive way. The cost of feed dictates which feeds are used in the animal’s diet, especially considering grains, vegetables, and fruits. Although the investment in fully intensive systems is lower, the health aspect and welfare of the animals in these systems should be studied. Besides the health aspect, it is questionable how these breeding systems affect the quality of the final products of these local breeds. Furthermore, it will be interesting to investigate how each of these breeds performs in all these production systems. Also, further studies will investigate how these types of production systems affect the value of the final pig products on the market.