Do feed additives work? What effect does it have?
In recent decades,feed additiveshave become widespread in poultry, and they have become increasingly popular. The most popular application of additives is to supplement compounds or substances not normally present or at suboptimal levels in standard feed diets, such as vitamins, minerals, pigments, amino acids and enzymes
Livestock feed additives are not clearly defined, traditionally they are low-inclusive substances added to feed for specific purposes. The European Commission describes feed additives as "products used in animal nutrition for the purpose of improving the quality of feed...or improving the performance and health of animals..."
Other applications for feed additives is the removal of anti-nutritional factors found in raw ingredients and the treatment or prevention of health disorders that may arise in different production systems. In commercial poultry rations, the presence of feed additives in feedstuffs may be required for maximising the genetic potential, the production requirements of modern poultry breeds and meeting market needs for commercial operations. Coccidiostats and antibiotic growth promoters also fall under the feed additive category but nowadays and in practical terms they are mainly referred to as “medications or pharmaceuticals” rather than feed additives.
ADDITIVE TRENDS
In the modern poultry industry, new additives and applications are constantly emerging, together with new scientific findings, genetic advances, scarcity of raw materials and the evolution of environmental and social pressures. Amongst other drivers for the development and emergence ofnovel feed additivesare: the ever changing challenges of producers, and the pressures and necessities of feed additive companies to remain profitable and stay in business. It is not uncommon to find that a surprising number of research and scientific works in the poultry industry are being driven by feed additive companies to fulfil the need to innovate, solve production challenges and provide better insights into the modes of action for their specific products. The “by-product” of these scientific findings is a competitive advantage over other companies, as well better advertisement and sales materials for specific products.
It must be mentioned that current the market is flooded with many additives, some of which vary in quality and price, with some of them being sold with plenty or very little evidence for their modes of action. Also there are many “like-to-like” products which may or may not have the same manufacturing and processing qualities. The current phenomena presents a big challenge for producers/end-users, as they generally would expect that the feed additive they purchase, will indeed perform the specified mode of action that is sold under. In commercial terms, it is important that the feed additive will actually assist in improving production parameters or solving certain challenges.
ADDITIVE USE, REGISTRATION AND LEGISLATION
Similarly to many other countries, in Australia a series of regulations exist for the selling, distribution, application and inclusion rates for additives that are used in poultry feedstuffs. A deep discussion on the current regulations and implications involving feed additives is not within the scope of this review. In brief, there are a series of categories in which additives fall under, depending on their inclusion rate, modes of action and for what purpose they are sold for. For particular actives, such as antibiotics or molecules with specific modes of action, the feed additives need to be registered and approved by the AVPMA. In other instances and depending on their category their use may also require a veterinary script. For these types of additives the regulations are very strict, requiring a long and thorough registration process. On the other hand, other additives that do not contain any claims or simply do not fall into the veterinary use category or are under the exceptions list, the regulations are less strict; requiring certain paper work; import permits and being cleared by Australian Quarantine Inspection Services (AQIS).
SELECTING THERIGHT ADDITIVE
As previously mentioned, there are several categories in which feed additives fall under. With most AVPMA registered products for which mode of action and recommended use is clearly specified on the label; it is relatively easy for the end user to select and use products for a specific function. A good example for this is the selection of phytase enzyme preparations for the digestion of phytic acid in grains and legumes. However, for additives with no specific claims, the selection of a specific additive to perform a specific function such as; alleviating production issues, improve performance or prevent a recurring disorder or conditions can be a little more challenging. The selection of the right additive may require the implementation of a series of steps and procedures to assess their efficacy and economic return. For some organisations or farms, additive assessments may be costly, timely and require extra labour. Other operations may use dedicated facilities where trials can be executed. In some instances the end user may not have the will or the time to assess the additive or the data presented by the company selling it and may just rely on a given sales pitch or word of mouth.
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Arshine Feed BiotechCo., Ltd. as a feed additive supplier, specializing in vitamins, amino acids, probiotics, enzymes, premix antibiotics, etc.
