Scientists at the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute in Hinxton, Cambridgeshire, are to map the genetic code of the pig in a project that will lead to better bacon and provide insights into human health.
The pig genome will help breeders to select animals that are more resistant to diseases and produce leaner cuts of meat, as well as advancing medical research.
Pigs share many physiological traits with human beings and are the most promising source of animal organs for potential transplant.
The details of the porcine genetic code could advance the prospects of such xenotransplantation, which is not yet permitted, even in trial, because scientists fear that porcine endogenous retroviruses, or Pervs — sequences of viral DNA that have become incorporated harmlessly into the pig genome — could trigger new diseases in the human body.