Economic values of optimum traits: the example of meat quality in pigs

In this paper a method is outlined to derive marginal-income functions and to calculate economic values for traits with an intermediate optimum such as meat-quality traits. A normal distribution of the quality trait was assumed, but the method can be used for other distributions as well. The parameters necessary to use this method are distribution of the quality trait, population mean and the standard deviation of the quality trait, optimum range, and price differences between products within and outside the optimum range. Especially, the optimum range for the quality trait and the price differences to be used have to be derived from consumer and processing research. Some alternative methods that can be used for selection on quality traits, such as restricted selection index, desired-gains index, and indices based on a quadratic aggregate genotype, are discussed.