From genetic to phenotypic trends

The performance of pigs is influenced by genetic and environmental factors. Both the genetic merit of the pigs and the environment they are raised in have to be improved continuously to optimise progress in performance. In addition, the requirements of genotypes available today may have changed due to selection and the management of pigs has to be adopted accordingly to maximise phenotypic performance. This document has two main components. Firstly, genetic and phenotypic trends are summarised for Australian pig populations and genetic trends are compared with those achieved in the Australian sheep and beef industries. Secondly, data were available from an on-farm trial to evaluate the effect of feeding a high energy diet on performance. This information may be a starting point to explore avenues to improve pig performance in Australia by matching management practices to the specific requirements of different genotypes available in the industry.