Cargill UK will showcase its new Neopigg shield piglet starter feeds during the Pig and Poultry Fair at the National Exhibition Centre (NEC) in Birmingham on May 15-16, 2024.
Cargill UK has launched a new range of starter feed diets, Neopigg Shield®, to promote gut health, the immune system and disease resistance in piglets.
The company explained that these diets are designed to help futureproof piglet performance in the new zinc-free era. They will be showcased at this year’s Pig and Poultry Fair at the National Exhibition Centre (NEC) in Birmingham, UK on May 15-16.
Formulations of Neopigg Shield diets, which have been used widely in Europe since 2022, have been tailored to suit UK systems, according to the statement of Cargill UK.
It is emphasized that these diets are unique in their ability to support four ‘pillars’ identified as being critical to reducing digestive upsets post-weaning. Cargill UK states that ingredients are used in the diets that specifically address these four areas:
• Protein digestion – diets contain highly digestible and rapidly utilisable protein sources with a low level of gut fermentable protein.
• Immune regulation – diets contain high levels of nutrients known to support a rapid immune response and anti-inflammatory components.
• Intestinal flora – functional metabolites and prebiotics help to stabilise gut microorganisms to promote beneficial populations and strengthen the intestinal lining.
• Mucin effect – antioxidants, essential oils and specialised processed carbohydrates strengthen the mucin layer covering the gut which serves as a first line of defence against pathogenic bacteria.
Neopigg Shield diets are supported by extensive farm trials, including trials on 10 different commercial units in the UK with 25,000 piglets which showed that piglets fed Neopigg Shield gave up to an 8% improvement in liveweight at nine weeks post-weaning compared to piglets fed 3,100ppm of zinc oxide (ZnO) in the first two weeks post weaning.
In 60% of these UK trials piglets fed Neopigg Shield diets had comparable or firmer faeces compared with those fed ZnO, demonstrating the support to the digestive system that the diets offer, the company notes.
The Neopigg range, which also includes Neopigg Max diets, contain specialised Cargill ingredients and additives known to support piglets in the post-weaning phase. Cargill’s sustainably sourced and supplied soya, Triple S Soya, is used in all Neopigg diets.
Explaining that neopigg Shield offers more flexibility to the Neopigg range, Cargill UK pig specialists work with producers to select the diets that best suit the unit, the system and their piglet requirements.
