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Meat production in pigs in the developed countries is characterised by relatively small breeding nuclei serving a multiplication level which in term provides sows and boars to the producer's level for the production of fattening pigs. On the breeding level various systems exist in the different countries. They range from internationally operating breeding companies to traditional herdbook associations. In almost all countries, there is strong competition between different companies on the pig sector. However, the majority of the successful systems are organized in a pyramidal structure which is characterized by a relatively small (100 - 400 sows) nucleus undergoing intense selection. In this setting the loss of genetic variability is predictable. The question is whether the loss of genetic variability in these high-input systems is relevant from a global perspective. This paper gives some different perspectives on genetic variability and tries to evaluate the role of high performance breeds in the developed countries as a future genetic resource.
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