PIC publishes comprehensive guide to maximizing pork carcass value
Online manual contains practical information for pork processors and producers.
December 13, 2021
PIC (Pig Improvement Company) announces the PIC Total Carcass Value Handbook, a new business resource for pork processors and producers.
“The new handbook covers the most important aspects of producing pork that is sustainable, profitable and affordable for everyone in the pork production chain,” says Andrzej Sosnicki, Ph.D., PIC Technical Director of Applied Meat Science. “Readers can learn how carcass value is quantified and how they impact value at their point in the supply chain.”
The PIC Total Carcass Value Handbook explains factors that contribute to pork lean and fat quality, including:
Genetics
Nutrition and diet formulation
Pig handling on the farm, during transportation and at the processing facility
Stunning, carcass handling and chilling
Many readers will be familiar with these factors from the PIC Blueprint for Animal Welfare and Meat Quality, which was first published in 1996. The PIC Blueprint was one of the first documents to outline industry standards for pork quality. It has been adopted by several industry organizations as a guide, and the company continues to update the PIC Blueprint with new information as it becomes available.
“The new handbook does not replace the PIC Blueprint,” Sosnicki says. “The handbook expands on the PIC Blueprint concepts and provides detailed information to help our customers and partners achieve success.”
PIC’s Applied Meat Science team developed the PIC Total Carcass Value Handbook using experience gained from the team’s work auditing and analyzing pork processing facilities.
“Our work has connected us with most of the top 150 pork production systems in the world. They count on us to scrutinize their systems to ensure practices are up-to-date,” says Sosnicki. “The information in the handbook is based not just on academic work but also on decades of experience.”
Pork producers, processors and other industry professionals can find information in the handbook that’s relevant to their role in the supply chain. Examples include:
Industry benchmarks that can be used to calculate the potential impact of capital improvements, process upgrades or changes in regulations
Tools and best practices for measuring aspects of pork quality such as pH, loin depth, tenderness and marbling
Explanation of which aspects of pork quality are influenced at the farm and which are influenced in processing
“The PIC Total Carcass Value Handbook can help stakeholders realize the genetic potential of the pig,” says Sosnicki. “It supports continuous improvement across the pork industry.”
Read or download the Total Carcass Value handbook at pic.com/total-carcass-value-handbook.
PIC is a global leader in swine genetics. PIC provides genetically superior breeding stock to pig producers and supports with technical services to help them realize the genetic potential. PIC is a subsidiary of Genus, a UK-based company with a vision to pioneer animal genetic improvement to help nourish the world.
SOURCE: PIC
You May Also Like