Approaches towards efficient use of boar semen in the pig industry

The current cervical artificial insemination (CAI) procedure, involving deposition of excessive sperm numbers, is uneconomical for pig industry. The most obvious alternative requires uterine deposition in combination with fixed-time AI, which would reduce the number of sperm required per pregnant sow, thus allowing the best use of valuable boars and, ultimately, the commercial integration of frozen-thawed and sexed sperm. This review depicts possible best ways to implement an efficient use of liquid-stored, frozen-thawed and sexed sperm by the pig industry.