The overall goal of the ICON project is to create added value through the acquisition of knowledge about current and related challenges for the pig production and processing chain in Flanders through cooperation throughout the chain.
More specifically, strategies are developed to, 1/ improve animal welfare, 2/ reduce losses, both on
animal level (before slaughter) and carcass level (after slaughter), and 3/ improving the taste and quality of fresh pork and cured ham to a consumer perceptible level.
In addition, this research will lead to 4/ new insights into the resilience of fattening pigs with a Piétrain as father with respect to variation in the feed, especially if that feed is mainly built up by secondary ingredients (feed resilience), and about 5/ the potential of blockchain technology in the pig production and processing chain towards greater transparency.