Degree of Breed Purity and Farm Sustainability: Effects on the Quality of Iberian Pork

The sustainability of livestock farming is becoming a key consideration in the European pork industry, particularly regarding the balance between intensive and extensive farming practices. This study focuses on the Iberian pig breed, assessing the pure breed and the Iberian × Duroc crossbreed and three production systems: intensive indoor fattening, outdoor intensive fattening, and free-range fattening, with an emphasis on their impact on both sustainability and pork quality. The quick-scan sustainability assessment tool developed within the H2020 project mEATquality was used to evaluate the environmental, social, and economic performance of each system. The results revealed that the free-range system performed best in environmental and economic sustainability, while the intensive indoor system showed higher economic stability. Significant differences in meat quality were observed based on the production system, including pH, fat and protein content, colour, texture, and fatty acid profiles. Notably, the free-range system produced pork with higher levels of MUFA and omega-3 fatty acids while intensive indoor showed a more favourable texture, while the intensive systems were associated with paler meat and higher SFA content. Indeed, the results highlighted a significant interaction between the production system × breed, indicating that the 100% Iberian is better adapted to the extensive systems. This study highlights the importance of integrating sustainability assessments with meat quality parameters to identify production methods that are both environmentally responsible and capable of meeting the consumer demand for high-quality pork.