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PHOTO: COMPANY WEBCAST


NEWS ▶▶▶ ‘Fermented rapeseed meal as good as ZnO’


Fermented rapeseed meal has been found to be at least as effective as zinc oxide to improve piglet growth, intestinal development and health. That was the outcome of a recent study by researchers from the University of Copenhagen and Aarhus University, published in the open-access journal Animals. The article was co-authored by writers from Danish com- pany Fermentation Experts. The research was carried out in the context of the phasing out of the feeding of medicinal zinc oxide (ZnO) to weaner piglets in Europe after 2022. This means that pig producers are in need of new solutions to manage post-weaning disorders. The study assessed whether rapeseed meal could improve weaner piglet performance and stimulate intestinal development as well as maturation of gut microbiota in the absence of in-feed zinc. In total, 1,240 weaned piglets aged 28-85 days were used for the trial. Five options were provided to the piglets, from no additives at all to a diet with 2,500 ppm in-feed ZnO and various varieties


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containing fermented rapeseed meal, of which two were co-fermented with brown macro-algae. In conclusion, the authors wrote, piglet performance, intestinal development and health indicators were sustained or nu- merically improved when in-feed zinc was replaced by fermented rapeseed meal alone. As for the mode of action, they wrote: “This could be attributed to the improved develop- ment of small intestinal villi and hind gut mucosa, improved gut barrier function in jejunum and colon, and changes in colon mi- crobiota in the direction of larger microbial di- versity (robustness).”


Which anaesthesia is best at castration?


Danish researchers will be studying different local anaesthesia methods to figure out the best method to anaesthetise piglets prior to castration. The research will be carried out over the next three years by Aarhus University re- searchers at the request of the Danish Veteri- nary and Food Administration. The reason be- hind the research is that recently, piglet castration legislation in Denmark was tight- ened. Since January 2019, piglets have had to be anaesthetised prior to castration. The new rules have created new questions, as the use of local anaesthesia prior to castration is not painless, nor does it cover the entire painful post-castration period, and only a few drugs are licensed for that use in Denmark. Post-doc Hanne Kongsted explained that the researchers will study the entire castration pro- cedure. She said, “We apply a holistic ap- proach. We know that it hurts, when you cas- trate a pig without anaesthesia. However, applying anaesthesia introduces other painful and stressful events to the pigs. Nobody wants to introduce a method that implies the same


or potentially even more severe pain and ad- verse effects on their welfare, than castration without anaesthetics. Overall, we aim to de- scribe the least painful and stressful method in order to improve the welfare of the pigs.” Based on interviews with farmers, vets and representatives from pharmaceutical compa- nies producing drugs for this purpose, the researchers have identified three different methods to be examined: 1. The ’Swedish method’, where the anaes- thetic is injected into the skin, testicle and spermatic cord;


2. A more simple procedure where the anaes- thetic is injected only into the testicle; and


3. A method where the anaesthetic is injected into the testicle and the skin.


Another aspect of the study is the interval be- tween administration and the start of castra- tion. Nowadays, the recommended interval is five minutes. There is, however, no documen- tation as to how many minutes are sufficient and how long producers can wait.


FeedChat podcast Also available on the websites of Pig Progress and All About Feed since mid-January is the lat- est episode of the podcast series FeedChat, made in cooperation with Trouw Nutrition. In this episode, All About Feed editor Marieke Ploegmakers talks to Grego Bekke, director of Trouw Nutrition Feed Additives. Together they discuss challenges and trends in the animal protein market for 2020, looking at, for exam- ple, antibiotic reduction, emerging diseases and scarcity of resources.


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There’s never a dull moment at the editorial desk of Misset. In December 2019, Pig Progress’ sister title All About Feed recorded a webinar in cooperation with DuPont Animal Nutrition. The title of the webinar, which was recorded in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, was ‘Calcium, the double-edged sword’. The core message was that while calcium may be a key ingredi- ent, too much of it can be detrimental to the pigs and poultry consuming it in their diets. It is essential to take into consideration aspects like particle size and origin when determining the inclusion rate of calcium in animal diets. Speakers in the webinar included Rachael Har- dy, global technical manager at DuPont, and Dr Arno de Kreij, global segment manager at DuPont. The webinar can be viewed on the websites of All About Feed and Pig Progress.


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