Page 1 of 2
Blood plasma, as the name indicates, is derived from blood of other pigs. This is usually extracted from blood straight after slaughter and can be divided into three components: lymphocytes and platelets (less than 1%), red blood cells or erythrocytes (45%), and plasma (55%). The plasma, in turn, consists for 92% of water and 2-9% of proteins. These proteins consist for 36% of globulins, of major importance for living creatures as they help increase their resistance against pathogens. Hence blood plasma can be described as a highly concentrated and healthy source of proteins.
In Hanover, Dr Jannes Doppenberg, Schothorst Feed Research, painted the current picture on the use of antibiotics in animal feeds and the pressure in the Netherlands in specific to completely ban medicated feeds from the feed mill. In the Netherlands some 10% of the feed is medicated.
According to Nevedi, the Dutch feed manufacturers organisation, there is a 5.6% carry-over of antibiotics from medicated feeds to normal feeds. Medicated feeds are trouble in the feed mill and costs are high to comply with GMP and HACCP rules in running flush batches after a medicated batch has been produced. Carry-over in feed can also be a threat in causing antibiotic resistance in microbes due to constant exposure to very small quantities of drugs. “There are plenty of alternatives to administer antibiotics to the animals, especially via the drinking water,” Doppenberg said.In the Netherlands, usage of antibiotics in feed is twice as high than in France, Germany and the UK, Doppenberg revealed. No figures are available for the countries in southern Europe, but it is expected that antibiotic resistance in these countries is higher than in northern Europe.
The Dutch Ministry of Agriculture set targets to further reduce antibiotic usage in farm animals.
In comparison to 2009, a 20% reduction in usage by producers has to be achieved in 2011 – and 50% has to be met in 2013. In addition, Nevedi strives for completely ceasing the production of medicated feeds in 2011. For the time being the initiatives stand alone, since there is no European consensus to reduce antibiotic usage in animal production through legislation.
Increased usage in pigs is probably related to the improvements in litter size, as the average number of piglets has grown but the total birth weight is identical as in the past – hence the average piglet weight is lower. This way, piglets are more susceptible for disease challenge.
Reduction of antibiotic usage
When antibiotic usage needs to be reduced, management at farms has to be brought up to a higher level. More attention and perhaps radical changes have to be made in sow management, creep feeding, weaning time, barn climate, farm hygiene, and water quality. Gut health can also be improved through the addition of feed additives (organic acids, medium chain fatty acids, essential oils, enzymes, pro-/prebiotics, MOS, ZnO), and via feed processing by paying more attention to particle size, pelleting and/or expanding piglets feeds.
Furthermore formulation can also help to improve gut health of piglets. Figure 1 shows the impact of antibiotics on gut health. Antibiotics among others decrease the transformation of bile salts and as such increase absorption of fats. In antibiotic-free feed more attention needs to be paid to fats which are highly digestible, e.g. palm oil. Reduction of fermentable carbohydrates content leads to more non-starch polysaccharides (NSP) in the large intestine. Here these are fermented to short chain fatty acids, which in turn are an energy source. Concerning protein it is advised to reduce crude protein and indigestible protein content (i.e. synthetic amino acids) and use highly digestible protein sources (i.e. animal proteins, processed plant proteins). However, distillers dried grains and solubles (DDGS) are a poor protein source for piglets due to its difficult to digest protein content.Other undesired items in a piglet feed are substances that decrease feed intake (e.g. mycotoxins) but rather use feedstuffs that improve feed intake (fish meal, plasma, sugars).Decrease buffering capacity of feed in conjunction with organic acids (i.e. limestone) and consider using functional proteins (IgG sources) and carbohydrates (lactose).Doppenberg concluded that antibiotic usage and consequently antibiotic resistance in animal production is a public concern and that its usage shows presently no sign of declining despite improved management practices. Doppenberg said, “Antibiotic use in piglets is reducing, but usage in weaners and fatteners is increasing. Plasma is a viable functional protein to increase feed intake and improve gut health.”
Page 1 of 2 | Next Page »
Source: Pig Progress magazine 27.3
