ISSUE FOCUS 22 FEED & ADDITIVE MAGAZINE January 2023 triculus and stomach of broilers and pigs so that harmful bacteria find it hard to survive. At the same time, these carefully blended acids support efficient digestion. The gut barrier function can be strengthened, and the microbiota can be balanced using specially developed feed additives. Research on dietary components has revealed that the practice of super dosing copper in fast growing animals, such as broilers, is a long-used alternative to AGP’s for improving gut health. Supplementing copper above the nutritional level could help optimize intestinal structure and function and balance the animal’s microbiome, resulting in improvements to growth performance without antibiotics. However, it is important to consider the source of copper supplementation. For example, copper sulphate has weak ionic bonds resulting in high water solubility. This means the bonds break easily in the presence of moisture, releasing positively charged copper ions. Reactive copper ions can reduce feed intake, damage vulnerable tissue in the digestive tract, and bind with other nutrients in the feed, reducing their availability to the animal. With the advent of Selko® IntelliBond® C, producers now have an option to gain all the benefits of completely replacing copper sulphate with a less reactive copper source. And from a cost management perspective, IntelliBond® C offers an economically viable strategy for supplementing copper to support the animal. Reducing the use of antimicrobials in agriculture is a responsibility shared by stakeholders across the supply chain. Nutreco’s Sustainability Roadmap has established a set of metrics to guide its antibiotic reduction efforts. Beyond lowering overall antibiotic use and ensuring that medications are applied under direct supervision by qualified veterinarians when needed, the roadmap eliminates the use of any AGP or any antibiotic listed on the World Health Organization's “Critically Important for Human Health” list. Just one example of progress toward this goal is an initiative that reduced the use of amoxicillin in swine by 50% in 1 year at one important swine organization. A Roadmap for Sustainability Includes Reducing Antibiotics
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