Northern Guizhou Black Pig

Northern Guizhou Black Pig

The Northern Guizhou Black Pig is a geographical indication agricultural product.

　　The Northern Guizhou Black Pig is a specialty of Zunyi City in Guizhou Province. It is mainly distributed in northern Guizhou, with Zunyi being its primary production area. The breed is relatively large in size, with good production performance and high fertility. It features strong adaptability to coarse feed, high resistance, easy fattening, high slaughter rate, and excellent meat quality. The Northern Guizhou Black Pig is a nationally protected geographical indication agricultural product.

　　The Northern Guizhou Black Pig is found in the northern and northeastern parts of Guizhou Province, primarily produced in counties and districts such as Zunyi, Suiyang, Meitan, Tongzi, Zheng'an, Wuchuan, Fenggang, Yuqing, Daozhen, Xishui, Huichuan, and Honghuagang. The local population is predominantly Han Chinese. Due to production and daily life needs, in addition to raising pigs for fertilizer, residents have a tradition of slaughtering New Year’s pigs for oil and cured meat. As a result, pigs that are “fatty and easy to fatten” are often chosen as breeding stock. The desired physical traits include “a large head, long snout, deep jaw, tall legs, long body frame, large drooping ears with a thick tail root, and an inverted eight-shaped head that gains weight rapidly.” The region is dominated by the Dalou Mountain Range and lies in a transitional zone between the Guizhou Plateau sloping toward the Sichuan Basin and the western Hunan hills. The Chishui River, Furong River, and Wujiang River flow through the area. The production area enjoys an early spring warmth and late autumn chill, with relatively high summer temperatures, fertile soil, abundant rainfall, and well-developed agriculture. Staple crops include rice, wheat, corn, and rapeseed, while important economic crops consist of sweet potatoes, potatoes, beans, peanuts, as well as flue-cured tobacco and tea. Thanks to the vast mountainous terrain and abundant wild feed and agricultural by-products, favorable conditions are provided for pig farming.

　　The Northern Guizhou Black Pig is relatively large in size. Adult boars weigh between 79 and 92 kilograms, while sows weigh 66 to 86 kilograms. The breed has entirely black hair, though a small number of individuals may have “white spots” on their hooves, tail tips, or snouts. They feature long, straight snouts, slightly concave backs and waists that are long and narrow, large drooping bellies that do not touch the ground (though pregnant sows’ bellies may touch the ground). The breed matures sexually at an early age—boars can be used for breeding at 3–4 months, while sows typically reach their first estrus at around 108.5 days, with first mating usually beginning at 133.8 days. Multiparous sows average 7.57 piglets per litter. The primary production area of the Northern Guizhou Black Pig is Zunyi.

　　In 2013, the "Northern Guizhou Black Pig," applied for by the Zunyi Northern Guizhou Black Pig Breeding Professional Cooperative, passed the review of the Agricultural Product Quality and Safety Center of the Ministry of Agriculture and expert evaluation, and was granted national geographical indication registration and protection.

　　Geographic Scope

　　The main production areas of the Northern Guizhou Black Pig are located in 12 counties in Zunyi City, northern Guizhou Province, including Tongzi County, Zunyi County, Fenggang County, Suiyang County, Daozhen County, Wuchuan County, Yuqing County, Meitan County, Zheng'an County, Chishui County, Xishui County, and Renhuai County. The geographic protection scope of the Northern Guizhou Black Pig includes these same 12 counties. Geographic coordinates: longitude 105°36′—108°13′, latitude 27°08′—29°12′.