Acorns and Chestnuts as Important Commodities in Organic Pig Farming

BĚLKOVÁ, Jaroslava, VÁCLAVKOVÁ, Eva, ROZKOT, Miroslav and KUCHAŘOVÁ, Stanislava. Acorns and Chestnuts as Important Commodities in Organic Pig Farming. Research in Pig Breeding, 2017, vol. 11(1), p. 7-12. ISSN 1802-7547.
Year2017
CathegoryPublication in specialized journals
Internal link17216.pdf
Abstract

Recent years have seen an increasing trend toward organic pig farming within the Czech Republic and many other countries. One impetus for this development is probably a shifting orientation among consumers from product price to product quality accompanied by growing interest in organic quality meat. Another important factor is the effort to create more humane conditions for farmed animals and to meet welfare requirements. Last but not least, such farming methods are also more environmentally friendly and support transforming agriculture and food systems to sustainability. The essence of organic farming is a return to nature and historic tradition. For pigs, this means pasture farming systems based on collecting such foods as acorns and chestnuts. In some regions, these farming methods have been maintained as ancient traditions and are still used to this day. In many other places, including the Czech Republic, however, these methods represent a return to a forgotten tradition. We have decided to determine the nutritional value of chestnuts and acorns occurring in the local environment. This information is instrumental in optimizing feeding rations for pigs reared through alternative methods as well as evaluating the effects these feeds have on the quality of meat produced.