Safer feeds for Europe's piglets
As discussions continue at European level on whether or not the addition of antibiotics to animal feeds should be banned, a Eureka project has developed a healthy piglet feed that is easy to manufacture. Administering antibiotics to pigs has a positive effect on their health and growth, so farmers may be reluctant to change their practices. However, growing concerns about bacterial resistance to antibiotics, particularly those used in human medicine, means that they might have little choice. The 'antibiotics in feed' project partners kept these problems in mind when researching an alternative feed. 'When leaving out antibiotics there is a proven risk of diminished health, such as more diarrhoea and losses of piglets, so it was important to develop alternatives to antibiotics that can minimise these problems,' said Annemarie Dirkzwager, from the Dutch Institute of Animal Nutrition De Schothorst, the project coordinator. The partners, from seven European countries, evaluated dietary additions and different feed compositions in order to better understand the processes taking place in the piglet's gut after weaning. In vitro testing was used to clarify the workings of the piglet's gut. Tests showed that some organic acids had a positive effect on growth and improved gut condition. The resulting new additives strengthen processes in the gut and overcome the negative effects caused by the lack of antibiotics. The alternatives are already being used by feed manufacturers, and have been adopted by some farmers.