410 Awardee Talk: Swine Feed Additives: Current and Future Innovation to Achieve Profitable and Sustainable Production

Abstract

Abstract Swine feed additives is general terminology used for a wide range of non-nutritive products to help improve growth, health, and carcass characteristics. There are numerous classifications of feed additives that are currently used world-wide. To properly access the value of a feed additive to achieve desired goals, understanding the 1) mode(s) of action, 2) efficacy with different diet formulation strategies, 3) influence of herd health status, and 4) consistency of predicted response are vital. For the swine industry to advance on-farm sustainability for improved carbon, nitrogen and phosphorus efficiency, efficacious feed additives must be a utilized tool. This needs to be done in unison with best management practices already in place (e.g., optimized feed formulation, precise feed manufacturing and processing, advancing genetics, improving herd health) to provide complimentary, not competing results. Also, strategic emphasis must be placed on maintaining efficacious and economical feed additives in the marketplace to prevent loss of their use. Ractopamine hydrochloride is just one example that was routinely fed to most US finishing pigs in diets before marketing but now is not used due to export market access. At the same time, pharmacological levels of Zn and Cu have illustrated clear benefits on pig growth, health and subsequently welfare, but regulatory action based on excretion levels and potential connections to antimicrobial resistance have begun to limit their use in certain countries. These examples highlight the need for correctly designed, unbiased research to provide consumers, human health professionals, and regulatory personnel information to make accurate decisions regarding various feed additives. Finally, innovation to advance the efficacy and predictability of feed additives such as in-feed enzymes, acidifiers, direct feed microbials, yeasts, fatty acids, trace minerals, ionophores, and others is needed. These products must be a component of current and long-term producer profitability, nutritional efficiency, and sustainability.