Practical guide will help offset impact of antibiotic removal

A comprehensive Healthy Growth Manual from Trouw Nutrition GB will help pig producers develop effective strategies to minimise the impact of reduced use of in-feed antibiotics to their businesses.

“The recent proposal to remove medicinal zinc oxide from piglet feed, coupled with ever increasing pressure to minimise use of in feed antibiotics, means it has never been more important to focus on pig health management,” explains Pig Technical Manager Dr Sian Nichols.

Dr Nichols says a healthy pig is the result of an integrated feed and management approach, encompassing nutrition, stockmanship, biosecurity and attention to the pigs’ environment. By taking steps to optimise management in all these areas, she predicts producers can reduce or eliminate the need for medication in pig production systems by minimising disease pressure and creating a more robust pig with a stronger immune system.”

“For example, our understanding of how nutrition influences the immune system and how correct early life nutrition can effectively program the pig to be healthier is rapidly progressing while the key to a healthy pig is a healthy gut environment.

“While there is no one size fits all direct replacement for zinc or antibiotic medication in pig diets, a holistic approach encompassing a nutritional strategy which considers all existing disease challenges and uses a targeted approach with alternative feed additives and formulation strategies can help prevent any loss in performance when removing medication.”

The Trouw Nutrition Healthy Growth Manual provides advice and practical guidance on developing more robust farm, feed and health management strategies, covering all ages and stages of pig production. It is available to Trouw Nutrition customers online via the TN Feed Advice portal. Producers can request a copy from their nutritionist, feed supplier or by contacting Sian Nichols at Trouw Nutrition.