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Have you ever had a piece of pork or bacon that smelled a bit ‘off’ when you cooked it? If so, there’s a good chance you are unlucky enough to be sensitive to ‘boar taint’. Indeed, you will also have been very unlucky to have bought a piece of meat that is tainted in the first place: pork producers around the world go to great lengths to avoid boar taint and, as a result, few people have ever experienced it.Not surprisingly, not many people even know what boar taint is. But that may be about to change. A new website which explains what causes boar taint and how it is controlled has just been launched.
www.boartaint.com explains that taint is a natural phenomenon which develops in the meat of some male pigs, and only male pigs, as they mature. Until recently, the only way to control it was to physically castrate piglets in the first few weeks of life. Unfortunately, this is not only painful and stressful for the piglet, but it also results in less efficient growth patterns.
In the absence of an effective alternative, over 90% of all the world’s male pigs are currently castrated to control boar taint.
Not surprisingly, scientists have spent years looking for more efficient and animal friendly alternatives to the knife. www.boartaint.com describes some of the alternatives that have been investigated and in particular the use of a vaccine against taint.
The website, which is produced by Pfizer Animal Health, describes how the vaccine works and how it affects growth rates and consumer safety.
It includes video footage and comments from experts and the results of market research among consumers.
Boartaint.com contains a wealth of information for those who would like to know more about how pork is produced and the steps being taken to create a more efficient, animal friendly and sustainable industry on a global basis. As well as English, the site is available in nine different languages.
