Large commercial pig farms that raise animals up to a slaughter weight of 105–110 kg lose the taste qualities of the meat — and along with them, the buyer. Ihor Voshchenko, co-founder of Ryabushkivsky Bacon LLC and head of the Sumy Region Livestock Breeders and Poultry Farmers Association, shared this in an interview with The Ukrainian Farmer magazine.
According to him, tasty pork is meat from animals weighing over 120 kg.
“Modern genetics allows pigs to reach 105 kg already at five months of age, but physiologically, this meat is still immature. It hasn’t had time to acquire fat deposits, and it is the fat that gives pork its characteristic taste,” Voshchenko explained.
The production of meat from animals weighing over 140 kg requires a different system of slaughter and carcass processing, including singeing. According to him, such meat should be sold in stores available to the buyer at a convenient time — unlike markets, which do not operate in the evening.
“We will only arrive at quality pork through the consumer’s wallet. The concept of ‘heavy-weight pork’ must emerge — mature, labeled, and with an appropriate price,” the expert concluded.
