ciency, which also translates into environmental credentials. Environmental sustainability covers multiple factors, from mineral leaching to carbon footprint. When talking about poultry, 80% of the footprint will come from feed, and as such, effective nutrition can play a huge role in reducing some of these carbon emissions. Regardless of production or bird type, if producers use less feed to achieve the same out- put, or use the same amount of feed, but produce more, there will be sustainability benefits; both environmental and eco- nomic. Improving feed efficiency is a complex topic, and as such, requires a complex, multifactorial solution. Ensuring the best type of ration for the bird’s life stage is one means of do- ing this. At each life-stage, the bird will have different nutri- tional requirements, and the components of the ration should reflect this. In laying birds especially, meeting mineral requirements is critical to allowing the bird to produce the best quality eggs, but, due to the speed of growth in a broiler bird, the contribution of this to effective muscular growth should not be overlooked. In order to meet nutritional re- quirements, inorganic minerals are often fed at high doses, sometimes above NRC recommendations. Organic minerals have better bioavailability, and so are better absorbed, mean- ing that they can be fed at lower inclusion levels. This has an immediate impact on mineral leaching, as fewer minerals are excreted. Perhaps unexpectedly, swapping to organic miner- als can also improve your carbon footprint through improve- ments in performance. This has a beneficial knock-on economic effect.
Improving gut health Nutrient digestibility and absorption can also impact the sus- tainability credentials of a diet. If nutrients can be better di- gested and absorbed, then they will be used more efficiently for egg production and muscle growth. One means to im- prove this is by refining gut health. Optimal gut health affords the bird the best villi structure, meaning that it has the maxi- mum surface area available to absorb nutrients into the bloodstream or lymph system. If the gut structure suffers, then often nutrients can pass into the caeca undigested, pro- viding a nutrient source for the microbial population that re- sides there. Often, potentially pathogenic organisms are found in the caeca, and this nutrient source allows them to replicate to numbers large enough to cause imbalances in the microbiota, which impacts performance. The associated per- formance decline will, in turn, reduce the economic and envi- ronmental sustainability of production. Gut health can also improve sustainability by helping to modulate the immune system. As mentioned above, the gut consists of microbiota and this population interacts with the immune system. Nu- merous studies have shown that having a more balanced and diverse microbiota helps to reduce inflammation and elicits a more effective immune response to actual challenges. Inflam- mation and other immune processes are energy expensive.
The link to sustainability might seem a little tenuous; however, through improved gut health, feed efficiency will be greatly enhanced, and this has a direct link to both environ- mental and economic sustainability. The diet can be formu- lated to promote gut health in several ways. First, through en- suring it contains the most digestible ingredients: there are numerous ways of helping with nutrient digestibility to allow feed to be absorbed in the correct place within the gut. Sec- ond, by providing the cleanest ingredients: contamination with pathogens, mycotoxins or other non-feed ingredients will have a direct impact on the gut microbiota, challenging gut health status. Finally, an additive to enhance gut health could be added.
Sustainable soy sources As an industry, poultry is relatively low on the agenda of NGOs calling for change. The carbon footprint of diets can be improved through optimising feed efficiency and edible pro- tein output. Perhaps one of the most emotive topics with re- gard to poultry production is the use of soy and its link to de- forestation. Sustainable soy sources can circumvent this issue and reduce the footprint of diets. However, one interesting aspect that has yet to become mainstream relates to the use of alternative protein sources in commercial production. In order to remain ahead of the curve and keep in line with consumer trends, companies should be looking at their envi- ronmental sustainability programmes for agriculture. These can bring many benefits to their business, potentially tapping into new areas for growth if their marketing is managed cor- rectly. The most important thing to remember, however, is that environmental and economic agendas do not need to conflict; they should be considered as going hand-in-hand. Simple changes to diets can have big impacts on efficiency, and, in turn, improve the sustainability of the end product.
▶ ALL ABOUT FEED | Volume 28, No. 10, 2020 23
Nutrient digesti- bility and absorption can impact the sustainability credentials of a diet.
PHOTO: SHUTTERSTOCK
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