INTERVIEW 34 FEED & ADDITIVE MAGAZINE April 2022 Should pig farmers be concerned about restrictions on feeding high levels of zinc oxide (ZnO) to manage post-weaning diarrhea and gut health? Research findings from two studies carried out in Canada show that adding an acidifier to piglets’ water may deliver better results than feeding high levels of zinc, when it comes to improving feed intake, average daily gain, feed conversion ratio (FCR) and final bodyweight. As the EU deadline for restricting the practice of feeding high levels of zinc approaches, Feed & Additive caught up with Jeanine de Nysschen, an animal scientist and Selko global product manager for a conversation about research on alternative approaches to support piglet health. How are regulatory changes accelerating efforts to find alternatives to AGPs and zinc oxide? Efforts to reduce the use of antibiotics and AGPs in swine production have been underway for many years. Ongoing research to identify effective replacements for zinc oxide, AGPs and antibiotics is driven by concerns about the risk antimicrobial resistance presents to human health as well as ongoing efforts to reduce the environmental footprint of farming. Restrictions on feeding high levels of zinc oxide will become effective in the EU in June 2022. Anticipating these changes, Trouw Nutrition has conducted multiple studies to evaluate products that support piglet performance without zinc oxCAN ACIDIFICATION REPLACE ZINC OXIDE IN PIGLET DIETS? Jeanine de Nysschen, Global Product Manager, Selko “Restrictions on feeding high levels of zinc oxide will become effective in the EU in June 2022. Anticipating these changes, Trouw Nutrition has conducted multiple studies to evaluate products that support piglet performance without zinc oxide, AGPs or antibiotics. Two interesting research studies conducted in Canada in 2018, demonstrate that water acidification is an effective alternative to including high levels of ZnO in piglet feed.”
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