medium or long-term toxicity risk to plants and micro-organ- isms. Zinc, for instance, can achieve concentrations of around 200 ppm within 120 years if its slurry application is not re- duced. Soil microbial activity and mass are adversely affected at even lower Cu and Zn concentrations in soil (30 to 50 and 100 to 200 ppm, respectively). Lowering the level of trace ele- ment supplementation is key to extending this timescale and minimising the environmental impact. Organic minerals were designed to reduce antagonistic rela- tionships within the gastrointestinal tract and therefore in- crease the bio-availability of trace elements. Studies compar- ing the bio-availability of glycinate to sulphate have shown good results in favour of the organic source while still main- taining at least the same performance. Männer and others in 2006 found a 31.1% improved absorbability in piglets, while Spears and others in 2004 found bio-availability almost dou- bled in ruminants when in the presence of a strong antago- nist. Consequently, less input also means less output. This su- perior absorption means that the supplement dose can now
be reduced while maintaining or even improving animal performance.
Answer to new challenges Their high bio-availability means that organic trace minerals can answer new challenges arising from the legislation in fa- vour of reducing the input and output of minerals while sup- porting animal health and welfare. In this context, where the pressure exerted by legislation and consumers is growing, the relevance of organic trace minerals is only increasing. These additives positively support sustainability along the produc- tion chain by providing safety to workers handling the prod- uct; maximising return on investment by reducing the cost of supplements and improving performance through lower sup- plementation. Finally, their bio-availability reduces the envi- ronmental impact by lowering the mineral output that leads to soil pollution and a long-term toxicity risk.
References available on request. ▶ POULTRY WORLD | No. 6, 2020 29
As feed is by far the highest cost component in livestock sys- tems, it is impor- tant to ensure that diets are formulated with an optimum cost to benefit ratio.
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