Relevance of boar finishing varies widely between countries

At the same time, organic pork production is basically irrelevant

Click to enlarge

Castration of male piglets to avoid boar taint is common practice in many EU-countries and non-EU-countries. However, there are also examples of countries where boar finishing is important or even prevailing.

The table shows a) the proportion of organic pork / animals and b) the proportion of finished boars in the total pig production.  

Organic pork production is obviously irrelevant and between 0 and a maximum of 0.5 percent of the total quantity and animals, respectively.  

Boar finishing varies widely between countries. In Austria, Czech Republic, Italy, Sweden and Switzerland boar fattening is zero or negligible. In Denmark, Belgium, France and Germany the proportion of boars ranges between 3 and 10 percent.  

In contrast, in countries like Ireland, UK, Spain and the Netherlands boar finishing is prevailing or common, with the proportion in the Netherlands quickly declining. There, the slaughter weights are lower than in the above countries because the occurrence of boar taint decreases with the reduction of weights.  

Sources:   Willer H, Lernoud J (eds.). (2019). Table 65, Europe: Organic livestock by country 2017. In: The World of Organic Agriculture. Statistics and Emerging Trends 2019. Research Institute of Organic Agriculture (FiBL), Frick, and IFOAM – Organics International, Bonn.  

agri benchmark Pig Network, InterPIG Network