Most male piglets intended for fattening are surgically castrated. Without this procedure, the meat can develop an unpleasant odor and is then hardly marketable. A possible alternative is immunocastration. This involves administering a vaccine to the animals that temporarily suppresses the production of sex hormones. In the project -Field Study on Vaccination against Boar Odor (FINGER)- researchers from the Universities of Göttingen and Kiel and the Max Rubner Institute in Kulmbach compared, among other things, the environmental balances of immunocastrated and surgically castrated pigs and uncastrated boars, evaluated animal health and product quality, and reviewed commercial value. ...
