Pigs - Lithuanian White

   The improvement process of Lithuanian local pigs, initiated after World War I, also marked the start of development of Lithuanian white pig breed, even though the breed was only recognised in 1967.
   The process of improving Lithuanian white pigs with large and middle-sized White, Edelsweine, Berkshire, and local Danish pigs formed an opinion that the best crossing breeds are Large White ones and those related to them. Year after year the number of used breeds was decreasing and finally the process was limited to spreading just White Large (Yorkshire) and partly German Edelsweine pigs. Financial support to farmers helped to acquire Large White pigs for breeding, which led to big numbers of large white pigs and their hybrids with local pigs spreading throughout the country; they served as a basis for further pig breeding and bacon pig raising as well as the Lithuanian White pig breed. After World War II, further selection and development of the breed’s genealogical structure and thoroughbred herds completed bacon Lithuanian White pig breed that is used as mother breed in industrial crossing combinations. In the market, with growing demand for less fatty pork but without completed industrial crossing system as well as falling demand for thoroughbred young pigs, Lithuanian White pig breeding-farms, aiming to improve carcasses of meat for sale, started wide application of crossbreeding and rejected Lithuanian White boars. Due to shortage of boars and leaving hybrid sows for herd substitutes, the number of thoroughbred Lithuanian White pigs started rapidly decreasing. As the Lithuanian White pig breed was created by using pigs of other breeds, it was decided to breed Lithuanian White pigs following the principle of open population, preserving only the breed name.
   This threatened the existence of the breed. In order to preserve the Lithuanian thoroughbred type of White pigs, the Lithuanian Institute of Animal Science developed a mini population of complete genealogical structure. A program for selection of Lithuanian White pig breed for the 2001-2005 period was worked out, which included measures for preserving the thoroughbred type in at least a few of breeding-farms. The State Pig Breeding Station, together with Lithuanian Pig Breeders Association, should take care of the stockbreeding activity as well as preservation of Lithuanian White pigs.