ProLinia will use the money to refine its cloning process. A few years from now, it expects to churn out cloned pig embryos for implantation in Smithfield sows. Smithfield, when it identifies desirable traits in a particular hog, can introduce them in succeeding generations. But breeding, natural or otherwise, waters down those qualities.
Cloning makes exact copies.
The goal would be to clone a number of desirable pigs, not one universal prototype. You have risks from eliminating genetic diversity. I think cloning will change a little bit the way animals are bred, but with the potential to avoid dilution. Smithfield completed its purchase of Murphy in January. It followed through on Murphy's plan to invest in ProLinia.