With these qualities, Berkshire pigs even made it to the English royal court. Queen Victoria bred the first boar, named "Ace of Spades." In Asia, especially in Japan and South Korea, there is a large population of these animals. Due to the outstanding quality of its meat, Berkshire is also described as the "Wagyu of pig breeds."
There are only a few purebred Berkshire cattle in Austria. Therefore, establishing a herd book, including existing farms, is a necessary first step towards establishing the Berkshire breed in Austria. The Austrian breeding company PIG Austria GmbH is providing the necessary support . The establishment of a herd book will create new opportunities and better access to breeding stock for interested farms in the future. Since there is currently no structured breeding program for this breed, the work presented here represents pioneering work in the field of herd book breeding.
The primary purpose of this work is to support Austrian agriculture. The purebred animals also serve as the starting point for crossbreeding with meat-rich pigs. These crossbred animals are intended to combine the outstanding quality of the Berkshire breed with a greater degree of meatiness.
Just listen or watch:
In this podcast episode, Dr. Andreas Steinwidder talks with Markus Gallnböck about the current status and intended further development of Berkshire breeding in Austria:
