Pushi Iron-Bone Pig

Pushi Iron-Bone Pig

The Pushi Iron-Bone Pig is a product with a geographical indication for agricultural products.

　　The Pushi Iron-Bone Pig belongs to the Western Hunan Black Pig group and originates from Pushi Town in Luxi County. It is an outstanding local pig breed in Hunan Province. It earned its name due to its dense and hard bones, as solid as iron. Tests have shown that its bone strength ranks the highest among all local pig breeds in the province. In 2006, the Pushi Iron-Bone Pig was listed as an outstanding local breed of Hunan Province and included in the "National Genetic Resources Protection Catalogue." It was awarded the Agricultural Ministry's Quality Agricultural Products Geographical Indication and successfully registered under the "Pushi Iron-Bone Pig" trademark. However, during a 2006 survey of Pushi Iron-Bone Pig resources in Luxi County, it was found that only 156 pigs remained in the entire county, including just 3 boars, putting the breed on the verge of extinction.

　　To preserve the Iron-Bone Pig breed and expand its population, as well as to develop it into a new industry for increasing farmers' income, Luxi County has actively planned the construction of a Pushi Iron-Bone Pig resource farm since 2009. In 2010, the project was successfully included in the Ministry of Agriculture’s reserve projects. The total investment for the Iron-Bone Pig resource farm construction project is 2.45 million yuan, with plans to renovate and expand 800 square meters of pigsties and build 800 square meters of supporting facilities. Currently, the farm houses over 120 breeding sows of the Iron-Bone Pig breed, with an annual output of more than 1,600 pigs, generating an output value of over 5 million yuan.

　　Geographic Scope

　　The producing area of the Pushi Iron-Bone Pig is Luxi County, located in western Hunan Province, at the southern end of the Xiangxi Autonomous Prefecture. It borders Yuanling and Chenxi counties to the east, Mayang County to the south, Fenghuang County and Jishou City to the west, and Guzhang County to the north. It lies between longitude 109°40′–110°14′ east and latitude 27°24′–28°28′ north. The annual number of Pushi Iron-Bone Pigs raised in the area is 24,000, with a production of 1,460 tons. There are currently 8 boars and 1,200 breeding sows, mainly distributed in Pushi Town, Dalan Town, and Heshui Town of Luxi County.