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Veterinary Services Act, 2001 (Act No. Xxiii Of 2001) Regulations On Methods For Monitoring Performance And Assessing The Genetic Value Of Pure-Bred And Hybrid Breeding Pigs, 2003 (L.N. 288 Of 2003 )

VETERINARY SERVICES ACT, 2001 (ACT NO. XXIII OF 2001)Regulations on Methods for Monitoring Performance and Assessing the GeneticValue of Pure-Bred and Hybrid Breeding Pigs, 2003

IN exercise of the powers conferred by article 34(b) of the Veterinary Services Act,

2001, the Minister for Rural Affairs and the Environment has made the following regulations:-

(2) The scope of these regulations is to implement the provisions found under European Union Commission Decision 89/507/EEC laying down methods for monitoring performance and assessing the genetic value of pure-bred and hybrid breeding pigs which in turn has a legal basis under article 6(a) and 10(a) of European Union Council Directive 88/661/EEC.

The genetic merit of a porcine animal may be calculated using one or a combination of the following methods. All the data accruing from the test results must be accessible to the competent authority. The final results must be accessible.

(1) Performance testing on a station
(a) The name of the body or of the authority responsible for the station and the name of the competent authority for the calculation and publication of the results are to be given.
(b) The design of the test is to be stated.
(c) The following items are to be clearly stated:
(i) conditions for acceptance into the station and in particular maximum age of young breeding animals at the start of the test;
(ii) length of the test period in the station; (iii) type of diet and system of feeding.
(d) The traits recorded (for example live-weight, feed conversion, estimator of the body composition or any other relevant data) shall be stated.
(e) The method used for estimating genetic merit must be scientifically acceptable according to established zootechnical principles.
The genetic merit of a tested breeding animal must be stated as a breeding value or contemporary comparison for each trait.
(2) Performance testing on a farm
A performance test may be carried out on a farm providing that at the end of the test a breeding value can be calculated following established zootechnical principles.

(a) The name of the body or of the authority responsible for the testing and the name of the competent authority for the calculation and publication of the results are to be given.
(b) The genetic merit of the breeding animal is to be calculated by assessing the qualities of a suitable number of progeny and/ or collaterals in relation to production characteristics -
(i) a detailed description of the test method must be given or quoted, (ii) the progeny and/ or the collaterals may not be selectively treated,
(iii) three types of progeny and/ or collaterals tests are to be recognised - (1) central testing in progeny and/ or collaterals testing station;
(2) planned progeny and/ or collateral testing in a farm. The progeny and/ or the collaterals should be distributed amongst herds in such a way that a valid comparison between breeding animals is possible;
(3) data collected on identified progeny and/ or collateral car-cases.
(c) The progeny and/ or collaterals must be chosen in an unbiased manner. All relevant data must be used in assessing the breeding value of the breeding animals. Influences other than the genetic merit must be eliminated by appropriate procedures in the determination of the breeding value.
(d) The traits recorded (for example live-weight gain, feed conversion, carcass-quality, reproduction characteristics, fertility, prolificity, vi-ability of the progeny and/ or collaterals or any other relevant data) must be stated.
(e) The method used for estimating genetic merit must be scientifically acceptable according to established zootechnical principles.
3. Contemporaries testing for the breeding animals of hybrid lines The conditions applicable to the progeny and/or the collaterals, defined in (a), (b), (c), (d) and (e) of provision 2 of this schedule, are to apply mutatis mutandis to contemporaries of breeding animals of hybrid lines.