Antimicrobial reduction efforts around the globe have shown that an integrated approach to reducing antibiotics on the farm must consider feed, farm, and health management. Introduced in 2022, Trouw Nutrition’s ‘Small Switches. Big Change’ antibiotic reduction program is tailored to the objectives of each producer.
Selko® Global Product Manager Gut Health
Selko® Global Product Manager Presan®
Trouw Nutrition Sustainability Manager Antibiotic Reduction Program
The start of a New Year is a good time to measure how much progress has been made toward achieving long-term goals. Reducing antibiotic use in livestock production is a critical goal shared by producers around the globe. Rising rates of antimicrobial resistance remain a global public health concern and some reports have projected that antimicrobial resistance could cause 10M human deaths annually by 20501.
Encouraging progress is being made and the use of antimicrobials in agriculture is declining in many nations. A European Surveillance of Veterinary Medicine report published in November 2022 reports that sales of antimicrobials for use in food-producing animals in 25 countries fell 47% between 2011 and 2021.2 Similarly, the U.S. Food & Drug Administration’s summary report on Antimicrobials Sold or Distributed for Use in Food-Producing Animals published in December 2022 notes that domestic sales and distribution of medically important antimicrobials approved for use in food-producing animals decreased by 33% from 2012 through 2021.3 Despite these reductions, progress against antimicrobial resistance has lapsed since the pandemic.4
As 2023 gets underway, much opportunity remains to reduce antimicrobials and protect human and animal health. The good news is that it is possible to significantly reduce or even eliminate antibiotics in livestock production while achieving similar or even improved performance compared to antibiotic growth promoters.
ON THE FARM SUCCESS DEMONSTRATES THE BENEFITS OF AN INTEGRATED APPROACH
Antimicrobial reduction efforts around the globe have shown that an integrated approach to reducing antibiotics on the farm must consider feed, farm, and health management. Introduced in 2022, Trouw Nutrition’s “Small Switches. Big Change” antibiotic reduction program is tailored to the objectives of each producer. For some farms, the goal may be to reduce the use of antibiotics for non-therapeutic purposes or to achieve certain reduction targets. Other farms may aim to eliminate antibiotics from their production.
The program consists of five steps:
1. profile and understand the producer’s objective
2. assess the entire production environment
3. design a value-added program tailored to the farm
4. assist with implementation
5. evaluate the results and determine how much further to take the program
Farms’ results show that small changes can indeed drive big improvements. A broiler integrator in Spain reduced its use of antibiotics by 95% over a six-year period, while lowering mortality by 36%. Similarly, a swine feed mill in Spain saw a decrease in year-over-year antibiotic use and, by 2021, it had reduced antibiotics by 86% compared to 2016. The feed mill continues to reduce antibiotics without sacrificing animal performance.
ALTERNATIVE APPROACHES TO STEER GUT HEALTH
When reducing the need for antibiotics, maintaining gut health is essential. Many times, chronic health issues in pigs and poultry are related to gut health challenges. About 70-80% of antibiotics used in poultry are intended to manage gut health problems. Given that most immune cells are in the gut, it stands to reason that improving gut health can also support immunity. This realization introduces possibilities to deploy feed additives such as combinations of organic acid blends; or change the source of existing dietary elements, like trace minerals, to better support gut health.
Recognizing the importance gut health plays in animal health and performance, the Selko® portfolio of feed and water additives is designed around five-pillars (Figure 1).
Selko invests annually to evaluate feed additives’ mode of action. R&D trials and field studies are conducted in global research centers, through partnerships with universities and on real-world commercial farms. Such research validates science-based feed additives that support the five pillars of gut health.
Organic acids delivered in feed and in water provide an interesting opportunity to support multiple gut health objectives. For example, specific blends of organic acids dosed at the proper level have been demonstrated to lower the pH in the crop, proventriculus 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.
When fed at higher levels (125 to 155 mg/kg), copper has a bactericidal and bacteriostatic effect on the bad bacteria present in the animal gut microbiome. As bacterial levels are reduced, the gut can increase nutrient absorption, which positively impacts feed efficiency and growth rate.
Feed and water offer dual opportunities to support animal health while antibiotics are removed from the diet. As a water acidifier, Selko®-pH contains a blend of buffered organic acids. In feed, the Selko® Presan®-FY gut health additive, containing patented slow-release C12, butyrates, and a phenolic compound, works to stabilize microbiota in the gut and improve the integrity of the gut barrier. Additionally, Selko’s hydroxy trace minerals (Selko® IntelliBond® C) delivers a strong antimicrobial effect and improves growth promotion in regions where feeding copper is highly regulated.
RESEARCH VALIDATES EFFICACY OF ANTIBIOTIC ALTERNATIVES EQUAL TO AGPs IN BROILERS
Collaborating with research facilities and universities, Selko conducted seven studies in different production environments with varying production schemes and regulatory requirements. The studies were conducted between 2017 and 2020. Researchers evaluated how a combination approach of using Selko-pH in water and Presan-FY (combined or not with IntelliBond C) in feed could influence broiler growth performance and efficacy compared to the use of antibiotic growth promoters (AGPs).
Each study compared an AGP group (BMD or zinc bacitracin) with a combination of Selko products (Presan-FY, IntelliBond C, Selko-pH). Results revealed that the performance for birds receiving the Selko additives was equal to the performance of birds receiving AGPs (Figure 2).
WHAT IS THE REAL GAIN WHEN REPLACING AGPs IN THE FIELD?
A comprehensive, customized approach conducted in collaboration with the customer and combining feed, farm, and health management strategies across the entire value chain can drive even better performance. The combination of feed additives is a crucial part of Trouw Nutrition’s health management strategy and works alongside farm management improvements and optimizing the microbiological, nutritional, and physical properties of the feed. The integrated strategy effectively reduces the use of AGPs while supporting animal productivity and protecting producers’ economics. Next to the immediately tangible benefit of improved performance, customers are prepared for future trends and legislation. Additionally, reducing or removing antibiotics can help customers meet the requirements of market segments that command higher prices for their end products. For example, producers can meet the demands of retailers with specific requirements such as AGP-free or “no antibiotics ever” labels. By improving the resilience of the animal, results are more consistent. And from an animal welfare perspective, reducing the risk of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) helps assure antibiotics are available for responsible use when necessary to treat animals.
Data proves that a combination approach utilizing a synergistic combination of Selko feed additives can support animal health and performance in AGP-free production. Rooted in science, the multifactorial approach supports animals by supporting gastrointestinal development and immunity functions, improving digestion, and optimizing absorption of essential nutrients.
A Roadmap for Sustainability Includes Reducing Antibiotics
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.
References:
1Tackling drug-resistant infections globally: final report and recommendations | The review on antimicrobial resistance
2European Surveillance of Veterinary Antimicrobial Consumption (ESVAC) | European Medicines Agency (europa.eu)
3FDA Releases Annual Summary Report on Antimicrobials Sold or Distributed in 2021 for Use in Food-Producing Animals | FDA
4COVID-19 Reverses Progress in Fight Against Antimicrobial Resistance in U.S. | CDC Online Newsroom | CDC
About Barbara Brutsaert
Barbara Brutsaert is Sustainability Manager Antibiotic Reduction at Trouw Nutrition, the livestock division of Nutreco. Trouw Nutrition is a global leader in innovative feed specialties, premixes, and nutritional services for the animal nutrition industry. Barbara holds a degree in Veterinary Medicine cum laude from the University of Ghent in Belgium. She started to work at universities and as an independent vet in South-Africa, Germany, and Belgium. After that, Barbara worked for four years for a multinational pharmaceutical company Johnson & Johnson, before joining Trouw Nutrition in 2003. The first eleven years working at Trouw Nutrition, she was a sales manager of feed additives, premix, and young animal feed in Belgium and partly in France. In 2014, she moved to the global organization, first as product manager for Selko health feed additives and then as a global program manager for gut health programs in monogastric, focusing on antibiotic reduction. Her expertise lies in implementing antibiotic reduction programs across the entire value chain at customers worldwide.
She has authored several articles on gut health and antibiotic reduction for industry publications. Barbara’s passion and commitment is to support livestock producers to raise animals with healthy nutrition, in healthy conditions and with regular health monitoring to ensure a responsible use of antibiotics.About Giseli Heim
Giseli Heim is veterinarian and holds a master’s degree in Veterinary Science (Swine Reproduction – Brazil) and a PhD in Animal Science (Swine Nutrition – Ireland). She works for Trouw Nutrition for almost six years, starting from Global Marketing Swine, joining Nutreco Africa as Swine Specialist and finally finding her passion in the Feed Additives, Gut Health Team, as Global Product Manager Gut Health. She has worked at Cargill (Spain), Orffa (Netherlands) and IDEXX (Netherlands). Giseli is originally from Brazil and has been living in Ireland, Spain and finally The Netherlands.About Yvonne van der Horst
Yvonne van der Horst holds a Master’s degree in Animal Sciences from Wageningen University in The Netherlands. After working in a commercial position in the Animal behaviour sector, Yvonne acquired the position of technical manager Feed in the organic acids industry. In 2013 she moved to Selko Feed Additives in the position of technical manager Preservation and Health being responsible for technical support of the organic acid based portfolio. In 2016 she became responsible for the Presan portfolio as the Global product manager.
