TREASURE - Diversity of local pig breeds and production systems for high quality traditional products and sustainable pork chains is a Research & Innovation Action financed by European Commission under the Horizon 2020 – grant agreement no. 634476.​

Start of the action: 01/04/2015    Duration: 48 months (31/03/2019)
Budget: 3,395,986.75 EUR
The project is coordinated by Kmetijski institut Slovenije = Agricultural Institute of Slovenia (KIS) 
and involves a Consortium of 25 partners from 9 countries.

The aim of the project is to improve knowledge, skills and competences necessary to develop existing and create new sustainable pork chains based on European local pig genetic resources (local breeds). The project will address:

  • Description and evaluation of local pig breeds, with an emphasis on untapped ones using novel genomic tools.
  • Performance of local pig breeds in contrasted agro-geo-climatic conditions and production systems (indoor, outdoor, organic). Focus will be on pig feeding and management strategies and on the use of locally available feeding resources.
  • Intrinsic quality of traditional and new regional high quality pork products and attitudes of consumers from various market areas; in particular the motives for the choice and willingness to pay such products.
  • Cost/benefit analyses and marketing strategies in particular short chain distribution channels.

All activities are driven from the perspective of sustainability (environmental impact, animal welfare, product quality, consumer acceptability and market potential). The ambition is to enhance existing and create new networks between academia and nonacademia partners, within and between regions and to tackle the value chain for regional high quality pork products, focusing on diverse and so far untapped pig breeds, their production systems and pork products.

TREASURE Winner of  CommBeBiz Innovation Award 2016

161011-cbb-innovationaward-blue

TREASURE project was selected by European Commission as the example of success story of EU research