Abstract
Chicken Farmers of Canada has been progressively phasing out prophylactic use of antibiotics in broiler chicken production. Consequently, hatcheries, veterinarians, and nutritionists have been mandated to contend with less reliance on the use of preventive antibiotics. A topical concern is the increased risk of proliferation of enteric pathogens leading to poor performance, increased mortality, and compromised welfare. Moreover, the gut harbors several taxa such as Campylobacter and Salmonella capable of causing significant illnesses in humans via contaminated poultry products. This has created an opportunity for research and development of dietary strategies designed to modulate gastrointestinal environment for enhanced performance and food safety. Albeit with inconsistent responses, literature data suggest that dietary strategies such as feed enzymes, probiotics/prebiotics, and phytogenic feed additives can bolster gut health and function in broiler chickens. However, much of the efficacy data were generated at controlled research settings that vary significantly with the complex commercial broiler production operations due to variation in dietary, health, and environmental conditions. This review will summarize implications of mandated restrictions on the preventative use of antibiotics and emerging Canadian broiler production programs to meet processor specifications. Challenges and opportunities for integrating alternative dietary strategies in commercial broiler production settings will be highlighted.
Highlights
Chicken Farmers of Canada has been progressively phasing out prophylactic use of antibiotics in broiler chicken production
The poultry industry is tasked with developing feed programs that maintain optimal gut health while meeting performance and welfare objectives under the challenging environments experienced by birds in a commercial operation
There is a gap in the research regarding the combination of commodity ingredients and feed additives that could be used synergistically in feeding programs to support the bird without the reliance on antibiotics
Summary
The Chicken Farmers of Canada (CFC) 2019 Annual Report shows a steady increase in the per capita consumption of chicken from 2016 to 2019 with chicken being the number one meat protein chosen by consumers. In addition to maintaining the supply management system, CFC has a responsibility to develop programs that support sustainability, trust, animal welfare, and biosecurity within the poultry industry. As a result of their commitment to consumers, CFC successfully implemented the National Antimicrobial Use Strategy (AMU) in 2019 This strategy mandated that the poultry industry would no longer use category I or II antimicrobials in poultry feed or water for prophylaxis. As the industry moves away from the preventative use of antibiotics, new broiler production programs have emerged with varying degrees of antibiotic restrictions. The four main categories are based on the ability of an antibiotic to effectively treat a human infection Products or their analogs found in categories I, II, and III are classified as having some level of importance to humans (Table 1).
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