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Published online by Cambridge University Press: 27 March 2009
Data from between 742 and 894 carcasses of hogs and of gilts of a British Landrace line of pigs selected for lean percentage were subjected to a heritability and genetic correlation analysis and to a multivariate regression analysis of phenotypic correlations.
Although overall fatness was the most important component of carcass profitability, other components relating to carcass conformation and muscle to bone ratio remained important, particularly in gilts.
Genetic correlation of backfat thickness with carcass value was low in hogs (–0·39) and exceedingly so in gilts (–0·13). Although genetic correlations of lean percentage with carcass value were high (0·80 in hogs, 0·77 in gilts) they were no larger than those relating yield of trimmed and boned joints to carcass value, which varied between 0·70 and 0·79.
It is concluded that, with skilled butchers, joint yields as a selection criterion for carcass value are preferable to backfat thickness and as efficient as, and cheaper than, dissection.