Growth and development are obvious limiting factors in animal production. This book reviews our current knowledge of the growth and development of the pig. It covers basic aspects of developmental processes and environmental influences and their application to pig production. It describes new approaches to our understanding of biological mechanisms, that will permit producers to increase protein while decreasing fat in food products, and improve control of muscling, growth and muscle partitioning. The potential for genetic improvement as a result of mapping the pig genome is also described. The book is based on papers presented by leading research workers at the Pork Industry Conference on Swine Growth held in November 1992.