GENETIC DRIFT

The Blackburn Study on Meishan Pig Genetic Drift was performed on a portion of the US Meishan herd over 15 years after the original importation. The study compared DNA samples of the herd 15 years after the importation to samples taken from the original importation herd. The conclusion of the study was that the research herds had experienced “genetic drift”.

In addition, they had not only drifted from the original importation herd but from each other. The A.M.B.A. has drawn heavily from this document and subsequent conversations with two of the authors to develop a suggested long term breeding strategy for its member breeders. This should help to ensure a genetically sustainable Meishan herd in the U.S. 

The Management of A.M.B.A. is extremely grateful to Gary Rohrer, Senior Swine Geneticist USDA US Meat Animal Research Center, Clay Center NE., for his contribution to this study. We are further grateful to Harvey Blackburn, Senior Geneticist USDA Plant and Animal Resource Genetic Preservation Center, Fort Collins Colorado, for his willingness to confirm the implications as they relate to Meishan bloodlines. Both of these leading Meishan researchers were generous with their inputs and their time.