Constraints and opportunities for the organization of selection in porcine and poultry production

Abstract

The organization of selection schemes results from biological specificities (prolificacy, generation intervals…) of each species alongwith the nature of the traits (early, late…). In porcine and poultry production where the distribution of breeding animals is global,the competition between operators has induced a race towards genetic progress implicating maximizing selection efficiency in purebreeds or lines, as well as taking advantage of crosses (heterosis, complementarity between populations, use of major genes) withinthe limits allowed by the high reproduction rate of these species. The use of these principles has led to the typical organization of selectionschemes and pyramidal crossing, both characteristics of these productions. This organization structures the genetic operatorsthemselves, leading to a characterized typology, modulated by biological specificities of the animals (size…), by the segmentation ofcommercial poultry product markets (species, niche markets…), and by the relative importance of private property of breeding animals(partial in pigs, total in poultry). The occurrence of genomic selection should not upset this typology, but creates problems ofeconomic feasibility.