Selection for residual feed intake in pigs: impacts on production traits and challenges for pork production

Improving feed efficiency remains a challenge for pork production. The usual measure in herds is feed conversion ratio that quantifies the economic efficiency of feed use for animal growth. Residual Feed Intake (RFI) has been proposed as an alternative measure, independent of production traits, in the 1960's. This paper reviews the research in two divergent lines selected for RFI at INRA, the low RFI line with pigs eating less than predicted from the production and maintenance requirements, i.e. more efficient, and the high RFI line eating more than predicted for its less efficient requirements,. These studies show that selection for RFI in growing pigs is possible with a limited impact on production and sow reproduction. However, technological meat quality is unfavourably affected by selection and a control of the impacts of selection for feed efficiency on this trait is necessary, as well as for nutritional requirements of most efficient pigs. Finally, the pig's ability to respond to stressors or various breeding conditions was not affected by selection, unlike that hypothesized by the resources allocation theory applied to livestock species. The challenges for pig production to continue improving feed efficiency in a changing context for livestock production are discussed.