What is pmsg used for during breeding?

“PMSG is a booster hormone for industrial pig breeding. It provides for large litters at predetermined times”, explains Sabrina Gurtner, project manager of the Animal Welfare Foundation. This not only has serious consequences for pigs, but also for pregnant mares. The hormone is obtained from their blood.

Since 2015, the Animal Welfare Foundation (AWF) and Tierschutzbund Zürich (TSB) have been reporting about the cruel conditions on South American blood farms. As a result, four out of five European pharmaceutical companies have stopped the import of PMSG from South America.

In October 2021, the European Parliament called on the European Commission in a resolution to stop the import and production of PMSG in the European Union. “As is often the case, the will of the EU Parliament fails due to the inaction of the EU Commission”, deplores Sabrina Gurtner.

New investigations of AWF | TSB from 2021 and 2022 in Uruguay and Argentina show once again how cruel the PMSG production is. Thousands of foals are still aborted, too much blood is taken from the pregnant mares at too short intervals, and injured and dying animals are left to their own devices.

One reason for the latest investigations was the fact that in 2019, the Argentinian company Syntex started marketing authorisation procedures for their PMSG product in Europe. After publication of serious abuse at the Syntex blood farm in 2015 and again in 2018, their PMSG was no longer purchased by European pharmaceutical companies. The Argentinian company is currently trying to come back to the European market, together with local distribution partners. Syntex has changed the name of their product from Novormon to Fixplan and started a new company in Ireland, Syn Vet-Pharma Ireland Limited. The authorisation procedure for Fixplan is running in several EU Member States. The product has already been approved in Ireland, France, Spain and Germany.

14 animal welfare organisations, supported by the European umbrella organisation Eurogroup for Animals, demand an end to animal suffering caused by the production and use of PMSG. On South American blood farms, up to ten litres of blood are taken from pregnant mares every week, for a period of twelve weeks, twice a year. “The foals are unwanted, that is why they are aborted. A lot of mares do not survive the late abortion around day 110 of pregnancy”, criticises Sabrina Gurtner. On the other hand, the fertility hormone also causes massive animal suffering in industrial animal breeding.

The PMSG advertising of pharmaceutical companies indicates that sows come back into heat faster after weaning, that the litter sizes are larger and the non-productive days are reduced. “With consequences for the pigs. The recovery periods between births are shortened for the mother sows, and more piglets are born than the sow can feed. Weak animals are often not capable of surviving and die”, says Sabrina Gurtner.

The animal welfare organisations from Germany, France, Spain, Denmark, Poland, Ireland, the Netherlands, Italy, Switzerland, Uruguay, Argentina, Canada and the USA, together with Eurogroup for Animals, call on the EU Commission to finally take action. “From today's perspective, PMSG is a hormone from the ideology of the 80’s. The idea at the time was to ensure food security for the population with cheap pork. Today, the massive negative effects of factory farming on animal welfare, human health, climate and environment are well known. PMSG is a booster for a misguided agricultural policy. A ban on PMSG would follow the logic of the European Green Deal and its Farm to Fork Strategy”, emphasise the NGOs and Eurogroup for Animals.

Based on these investigations and the ongoing serious concerns raised by the production and use of eCG/PMSG in the EU, Eurogroup for Animals calls the EU to build on upcoming legislative opportunities, including the revision of the animal welfare legislation, to introduce a full ban.

PMSG is used for the induction and synchronisation of oestrus in farmed animals, in particular pigs. Through the administration of PMSG it is intended that the sows come into heat and can be artificially inseminated at the same time, and the births take place on the same day.

Manufacturer: Ceva Santé Animale (France) Use: For weaning sows - induction and synchronisation of oestrus within 7 days following the treatment; reduction of the weaning-to-oestrus interval; treatment of seasonal anoestrus Origin of PMSG: Iceland

Manufacturer: Intervet/MSD Animal Health (Germany)

Use: Intergonan is used in cattle, pigs, sheep, rabbits and minks to eliminate fertility problems and increase fertility. Origin of PMSG: Iceland

Manufacturer: Syntex S.A. (Argentina) - owner of the Syntex blood farms in Argentina and Uruguay

Distributors: Syn Vet-Pharma Ireland Limited / Serumwerk Bernburg Use: Induction of oestrus in cattle, sheep and sows; induction of superovulation; increase in fertility rates; treatment of anoestrus Origin of PMSG: South America

Manufacturer: Intervet/MSD Animal Health (Germany) Use: Induction and synchronisation of ovulation in cattle, pigs and sheep; induction of superovulation in cattle; increase of fertility rate Origin of PMSG: Iceland

Manufacturer: Laboratorios Hipra (Spain) Use: Induction and synchronisation of oestrus in pigs Origin of PMSG: South America

Manufacturer: Syntex S.A. (Argentina)

Distributor: Zoetis Use: Induction of ovulation and superovulation of cattle, sheep and pigs; oestrus synchronisation in sheep, goats and sows; preparation for artificial insemination and embryo transplantation Origin of PMSG: South America

Obtaining a good lamb price is often associated with early lambing flocks. However achieving a good lambing percentage to drive high ewe output is perhaps more challenging without well planned use of a hormonal intervention programme. Achieving a compact lambing period is also key to reducing labour costs and having lambs ready for market at the target time.

Two of the key targets for an early lambing flock are:

Sheep are seasonal breeders and begin to come into heat or oestrus as daylight hours decrease. While some specific lowland breeds will mate early in the year, most lowland breeds and cross bred ewes within the Northern Ireland flock need veterinary intervention to aid them to lamb early in the season and improve their prolificacy.

There are a number of different programmes that can be used to help ewes come into season early and produce a good crop of lambs. Two of the most common programmes are progestogen impregnated sponges with PMSG and secondly melatonin implants.

Using progestogen impregnated sponges as part of the breeding programme allows a group of ewes to be mated as a batch on one day, and the use of a hormone injection PMSG will increase ovulation rates and in turn improve litter size.

The main benefits of sponging and PMSG to the early lambing flock are:

A typical programme for synchronising ewes is suggested below in Table 1:

Table 1. Synchronisation programme for early lambing ewes.

Important points to note to improve performance include:

This is a hormone administered at the base of the ear around 35 days prior to ram introduction to the flock. It works by releasing a small amount of melatonin into the ewe similar to what the ewe produces naturally as daylight hours decrease. It therefore has the ability to make the ewes come into season earlier in the year and produce a lambing percentage similar to a March lambing flock.

Table 2. Melatonin implant programme.

Brian Hanthorn concluded: “Lamb prices this spring have been encouraging, but it is still very important for early lambing flocks to produce at least 1.65 lambs per ewe. Either sheep sponging /PMSG or Melatonin implants are very useful programmes for early lambing flocks to bring forward the lambing season, make it more compact,  and achieve their targets to improve output and profit.

“You should consult your veterinary surgeon about which programme is most suitable for your farm and your sheep, and follow veterinary advice at all times.”