The Landrace Pig

An Introduction to This Highly Productive Breed

There are several variations of the Landrace pig breed, each named after their country of origin (America, Swedish, Danish, Dutch, Finnish, French, German..... the list goes on). All Landrace breeds are long pigs with pink skin, white hair and ears that droop over their eyes. Typically, it is the Danish Landrace that most people think of, as it is probably the best example of a Landrace breed.

Landrace pigs are a common second breed in crossbreeding programs in modern production, because of their good meat structure and maternal abilities. They are very efficient at converting food to meat, and produce little excess fat. There is a program for continued improvement of the breed to increase efficiency and quality of the meat. Landrace pigs are ideally suited for bacon and ham production. Their ham meat is well structured, and their long backs means that more bacon can be produced per pig. Landraces are known for their rapid growth when young, typically reaching a heavier weight at weaning than other breeds, which is another factor in their lasting popularity in factory farms.

If breeding is not monitored carefully for quality, than Landrace strains may show unstable backs awkward gaits due to unusually proportions in their legs. Some bloodlines also carry the genetics for "Porcine Stress Syndrome", which is similar to anaesthetic induced malignant hyperthermia in humans. Landrace pigs have been used as a medical model for researching this disease. Porcine Stress Syndrome (PSS) is a genetic condition which causes muscles to overheat when under stress or stimulated by caffeine or halothane anaesthetic. The condition may manifest as pale, soft, exudative meat, dry and dark meat, death of the back muscles or sudden death of the pig. It's usually seen after a period of stress or activity.

Although very useful and widely used in intensive systems, the landrace is not considered ideal for free range. Despite its efficiency in meat production, its pink skin makes it vulnerable to sunburn and its thin hairs don't adequately protect it during cold weather.