The Duroc Pig – Breed History continued

The Duroc made two attempts to gain a foothold in this country; the first in the early 70s was not very successful, although some of those pigs were exported on to Denmark. They were re-imported in the early 80s and a comprehensive trial was undertaken by the MLC to assess the merits of the Duroc as a terminal sire. It was found that in the British skin-on fresh pork market the Duroc could not be used as a purebred but only as component of a crossbred boar. The development of Duroc crossbred boars produced large numbers of crossbred gilts. A market was found for these due to a resurgence of interest in outdoor pig production. This has resulted in breeding and selection programmes for the British Duroc focusing on female line characteristics rather than the traditional terminal sire traits associated with the breed. The Duroc has now found a special niche in the British industry and a unique British version of the breed has been developed.
Their thick auburn winter coat and hard skin allows them to survive the cold and wet of the British winter. This coat moults out in summer to leave the pig looking almost bald, but as a consequence it can cope with hot dry summers equally well. All purebred Durocs are red in colour and the development of a so-called “White Duroc” has only been achieved by crossbreeding with a white breed.

Duroc breed history Page 3

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