In line with European Union regulations, the use of zinc oxide in pig diets will be banned in June 2022, due partly to the potential risks to the environment.
Historically zinc oxide has been included in feed at therapeutic levels to minimise post-weaning diarrhoea (PWD) in piglets. But moving forward producers will need to look to alternative options to support piglets in the post-weaning period. Feed additives such as EndoQuell™ can form part of a diet-based solution to help reduce the risk of PWD.
EndoQuell™ targets gut health by helping support a piglet’s healthy immune system and, in conjunction with the lowering of overall protein content and the use of synthetic individual amino acids, can reduce the incidence of PWD on-farm.
There is no ‘silver bullet’ solution to the issue of PWD, however, a holistic approach including optimising gut health with diet-based solutions, maintaining good biosecurity and carefully managing colostrum, will help farmers to operate without zinc.
EndoQuell™ is available in liquid or powder forms and is a premix to be incorporated into compound feeds. The product is carefully formulated using approved ingredients from the EU Feed Register and EU831/2003 to UFAS standards, making it suitable for inclusion in all livestock diets.
For further information and advice on zinc-free diets or EndoQuell™, please contact us.