Effect of organic vs. conventional production on Krškopolje pig performance

Performance of Krškopolje pigs in conventional and organic production systems was evaluated in the TREASURE project. Thirty-six finishing pigs (~70 kg) were assigned to three groups: organic (ECO), conventional (CON), and conventional with lucerne supplementation (CON+L). CON and CON+L were housed indoors; ECO had outdoor access. Diets were barley-based: organic (12.4 MJ ME, 12.9% CP, 0.7% lysine) for ECO, conventional (12.7 MJ ME, 13.6% CP, 1.2% lysine) for CON and CON+L, with CON+L fed 10% less. ECO received lucerne hay; CON+L received lucerne pellets. After 113 days, CON+L had 11% lower ADG than CON (P=0.048), while ECO showed less body weight variation. Backfat gain was 0.28 mm/day (CON+L), 0.32 mm/day (CON), and 0.36 mm/day (ECO) (P=0.083). FCR was similar in CON and CON+L (4.90 vs. 4.91 kg feed/kg gain).