The Danish breeding system for pigs, DanBred, is world-class. More than 100 years of dedicated selection and breeding on the pigs gives the best meat quality and best production economy. This has given the Danish pig prodcuers a giant lead ahead of our international competitors. Selection methods today are based on comprehensive recordings and research in few selected pig herds and subsequent analysis of this data in which both advanced theory and computer power are necessary.

DanBred is the joint trademark in the Danish pig breeding system. Pig Research Centre is in charge of prioritising and co-ordinating tasks in this system, and the work is thus organised for pig producers by pig producers. A very important part of this work takes place in the breeding and multiplier herds under DanBred.

Structure

The breeding and multiplication herds in DanBred are contractually subject to a comprehensive set of rules laid down by Pig Research Centre.

The number of breeding and multiplication herds affiliated with DanBred has decreased over the last years. In 1980, there were 250 breeders with 8,500 sows and 150 multiplication herds with the same number of sows. Today, we have 30 breeders with approx. 16,000 sows and 176 multiplication herds with approx. 52,000 sows (excluding breeding herds with multiplication).

These herds are owned by private breeders who have a contract with Pig Research Centre on conduction of breeding and multiplication work.

These breeding herds are subject to minimum sizes: no breeding herd must have less than 100 sows in Duroc and minimum 136 sows in Large White and Landrace. The largest breeding herds conduct breeding with all three breeds.

There are several reasons for these restrictions; in small herds it is not possible to conduct proper on-farm testing as it is impossible to calculate sufficiently accurate estimates for environmental effects in small herds.