ForFarmers has been working with producers to identify solutions to coping without zinc that will support piglets during the critical weeks of their lives when nutrition and gut health are so vital.
Nutritionist Ade Adebiyi said: “Zinc oxide is typically used for the prevention of two piglet health problems, post-weaning diarrhoea and bowel oedema disease.
“The solution needs to be managed through a combination of factors with great nutrition playing a critical role. Understandably, pig producers are looking for guidance as they navigate this transition.”
The company’s technical and commercial advisor Emma Slater added: “We already have our NutriCare framework, which offers producers a holistic view to pinpoint challenges to improve piglet health and vitality. We are delighted to complement this with the latest addition to our VIDA range, VITAL.”
Mr Adebiyi explained that the new range has been developed to both support piglet gut health and match weight gain and feed intake when high levels of zinc are removed.
“After extensive trial work, we have proven that producers don’t need to settle for compromised gut health when removing zinc,” he said.
“The unique combination of highly digestible nutrients and balanced mineral levels avoids gut disorder and looseness. The optimised dietary protein and amino acid levels reduce undigested protein reaching the hind gut, limiting the chances of dysbiosis. And the unique blend of amino acids reduces post-weaning stress aggression.”
Extensive research
ForFarmers’ Nutrition and Innovation Centre (NIC) leads a programme of research and development in the UK and Europe.
Operating internationally means that the company is working with countries at different stages in their zinc journey, enabling the NIC to draw on experiences from producers who have already been through this transition.
“Whilst we have years of experience of feeding piglets without zinc from our Dutch and Belgian businesses, it’s important we get a solution which is right for the UK market. We’ve spent the past two years developing this,” Ms Slater said.
Trial results
VITAL has been trialled on thousands of piglets in research units and on UK commercial farms.
The results demonstrate that end-of-nursery-period weights (transfer at around 35-40kg) are similar to zinc-included feeding regimes
Results from a trial of circa 1,000 piglets with Leeds University conducted from July to October 2021 demonstrated positive results.
“We observed that bodyweights and average daily gain were similar at the point of transfer out of the nursery (40-45kg) in piglets fed therapeutic levels of zinc and VITAL diets (Figures 1 and 2),” Mr Adebiyi explained.
“Faecal consistency (firm-soft), health scores and antibiotic usage was comparable between piglets fed high levels of zinc and those fed VITAL diets.”
The feed range has also been trialled on a range of different production systems, genetics, health statuses, feeding regimes, and feeding quantities.
“The VITAL concept is based on gut health, and when this is optimised it will go hand-in-hand with maximising performance,” Ms Slater added.
“Our commercial trials demonstrate that we have effectively removed zinc from starter diets with no significant levels of looseness being observed.
“In trials where we have looked to quantify performance, pigs on the VITAL diets weighed heavier at transfer compared to the pigs fed the current regime with full rate zinc (see Figure 3). Producers also reported higher feed intakes on VITAL compared to diets containing zinc.
The NIC team utilised ForFarmers’ Nutripower technology, which incorporates knowledge of digestion kinetics of fibre, starch and protein to ensure good gut health, in developing the new range.
- VITAL consists of a range of diets, formulated with key additives, targeted to different health and performance requirements.
