Zinc oxide ban in 2022 – now what?

As the zinc oxide ban (June 2022) is literally just around the corner pig producers in the European Union are forced to take a fresh look at feeding and supporting pigs during their most stressful period of their life. History tells us taking a fresh look at things and keeping an open mind, quite often paves the way for much bigger and better things ahead. Maybe that is the attitude to bear in mind as we embark on a new chapter in European pig production.

by Gwendolyn Jones

Zinc oxide ban 2022 in a nutshell

Effective June 2022, the maximum level of zinc permitted in the feed will reduce to 150 ppm in the European Union. As a result, using high level of zinc oxide in the feed will no longer be acceptable.  The marketing authorizations for veterinary medicinal products containing high levels of zinc oxide (2000ppm or more) prescribed by veterinarians, which were used to ease the weaning process and manage post-weaning diarrhea will be withdrawn by June 2022.

ZnO can still be used as a feed additive after this date, but only at the maximum permitted dose rate of 150 ppm total dietary zinc. This is still higher than the physiological requirements of weaned piglets. The requirement for Zn supplementation in the diet of weaned piglets decreases from 100 to 60 ppm when their body weight increases from 5 to 50 kg.

The decision to ban pharmacological doses of ZnO for piglets was made because more recent reports demonstrated its contribution to environmental pollution and increase in antimicrobial resistance.

Although to date the EU is imposing the strictest regulations on ZnO in piglet production, other markets are also starting to reduce the levels of ZnO in piglet diets. For example, Canada has already announced its plan to reduce the levels allowed to 3o0ppm and others are likely to follow suit in the future.

What does the zinc oxide ban mean for pork producers?

Post-weaning diarrhea (PWD) due to Escherichia coli is an economically important disease in pig production worldwide, affecting pigs during the first 2 weeks after weaning. It is one of the main reasons why pig farmers are using pharmacological levels of zinc oxide. The biggest issues associated with PWD in piglets are reduced growth rates, followed by increased finishing times and mortality.

Not being able to prevent PWD in piglets could therefore result in significant financial losses to the farmer and reduction of the wellbeing of the pigs.

Weaning is one of the most stressful periods in a pig’s life. Removed from the sow and confronted with dietary changes, having to adapt to a new environment, mixing of pigs from other litters and/or farms can lower the immune response and feed intake and thus make piglets more vulnerable to infectious diseases. The ability to cope with these stressors will also determine the susceptibility of the pig to PWD.

This means that farmers need to take extra care to prepare piglets for weaning and develop multifactorial approaches for a smoother transition if they can no longer rely on the use of pharmacological doses of ZnO post weaning.

How to take the right action for your pigs and stay competitive

Just as being open to new ways of doing things and learning about new things is critical, so is an understanding how we got to where we are now. Talk to your veterinarian and trusted nutritional advisors. Gain different perspectives from outside to plot a strategy for a new path forward. Ideally it should be more holistic, combining optimal nutrition and best practices in biosecurity, management and health programs. This includes optimal management of sows and piglets during the lactation period to optimize resilience in pigs at weaning. There is no silver bullet to replace zinc oxide and each plan should be farm-specific.

Join the Pancosma webinar hosted by Misset to learn about synergistic alternative approaches to pharmacological levels of zinc oxide in piglet diets. If you missed the date of our webinar, you will be able to view a recording of the webinar on demand.

Relevant articles

Benchmarking trace mineral levels in pig feed

Effects of alternative feed additives to medicinal zinc oxide on productivity, diarrhoea incidence and gut development in weaned piglets

Scientific abstract: Potential of a combination of bioactives, sweeteners and organic acids as alternative to high Zinc oxide concentration to support piglets’ growth performance

Pancosma product categories – do you know them all?

Pancosma has a wide range of feed additives covering your needs. But do you know the product categories in which they belong? We have recently expanded our portfolio to a more complete offer and added new innovations to existing product categories.

Explore where we specialize and innovate

Understand our feed additive offer better. Our product category pages are designed to help you answer questions like, how our product categories benefit you in achieving your goals, support your needs and what we do to ensure their quality and effectiveness.

Pancosma feed additive product categories

GUT AGILITY ACTIVATORS  – more

ORGANIC ACIDS  – more

ORGANIC TRACE MINERALS – more

PALATANTS – more

Palatant subcategory:    SWEETENERS – more

Palatant subcategory: Animal feed FLAVORS – more

PHYTOGENIC BIOACTIVES – more

PICHIA Yeast  -more

Discover our feed additive brands ->

Advance your learnings

The product category pages sum up the details of our product categories in a nutshell. If they spark your interest and you would like to learn even more about our offering and the services we provide, there are several options for you to learn more.

 

  1. If you have more specific questions on our product categories, you can get in direct contact with one of our product experts.

CONTACT OUR EXPERTS



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    Zinc oxide alternative by 2022 – Webinar

    Hear about the Pancosma feed additive synergistic approach as a zinc oxide alternative in a webinar hosted by Misset, Group, through All About Feed media.

    Our 3 speakers came together to discuss opportunities and challenges awaiting European pig producers due to the Zinc Oxide ban in June 2022.

    We invited Professor emerita Hanne Damgaard Poulsen from the Aarhus University, to provide an independent perspective on how the role of zinc in weanling piglet diets will change next year and explain in practical terms what this means for the actions producers need to take and the challenges they may encounter.

    Her talk is followed by Sebastien Constantin, Business Development Manager and Dr. Richard Sygall, Customer Technical Services Director EMEA from Pancosma. They present a synergistic approach using feed additives from Pancosma to support feeding strategies for successful and more sustainable piglet production post ZnO ban.

    View a recording of the webinar here

    About the speakers

    Professor emerita Hanne Damgaard Poulsen, Aarhus University,

    Public sector consultant on nutrient utilization

    Professor emerita Hanne Damgaard Poulsen, Aarhus University, Foulum is MSc (Aarhus University) and PhD (The Royal Veterinary and Agricultural University, Copenhagen). Pig nutrition and physiology has for more than thirty years been her main working area bringing sustainability into focus. Her main scientific activity has been dedicated to improve pigs’ utilization of nutrients and reduce the excretion of nutrients by addressing pigs’ requirement, nutrient bioavailability, feeding management, mineral sources, enzymes etc. Concurrently, HDP has acted as public sector consultant on nutrient utilization/excretion in animal production for ministries and boards (mainly N and minerals (P, Zn, Cu)).

     

    Sebastien Constantin

    Business Development Manager, Pancosma

    Sebastien is Business Development Manager for the Bioactives range. He joined Pancosma in January 2019.He holds a MSc in animal nutrition from Ecole Superieure d’Agriculture d’Angers – France . He has 15 years of experience in the field of animal nutrition with technical support and product management functions.

    Dr. Richard Sygall

    Customer Technical Services Director EMEA, Pancosma

    Richard was born in the Netherlands and obtained the degree of Veterinary Medicine at the State University of Ghent, Belgium in the year 2000. After graduation he went to work in the United Kingdom where he practiced as a mixed and equine practitioner for seven years. In 2007 he joined Janssen Animal health in the UK as Technical Services Manager. Since 2010 he has been employed by Perstorp Performance Additives in the Netherlands and held the position of Market Development Manager for the Innovation department Feed and Food with a special interest in Gut Health. In 2019 he joined Pancosma and is currently the Customer Technical Services Director EMEA responsible for the additive range.

    CitriStim has changed its look

    CitriStim and the sun, what is the link? Challenges, pathogenic and physiological are like a grey cloud, threatening optimal animal welfare and performance. CitriStim may support animals to more efficiently weather such challenges clear the clouds, supporting them to shine! Bring out the sun with CitriStim.

    What does it do?

    CitriStim is produced through specialized fermentation, processing and heat treatment of whole cell Pichia guilliermondii.  An extensive body of research involving in-vitro, ex-vivo and in-vivo peer-reviewed studies across several species, have examined various unique morphological and structural properties of Pichia guilliermondii, and demonstrate that its use in animal feeds may help the animal strengthen its defense against health challenges by supporting and optimizing gut function, gut integrity, and body defense responses, strengthening production. CitriStim provides proven benefits.

    Why is CitriStim an asset in animal feed ?

    CitriStim promotes resilience in animals for better outcomes.

    What animals might benefit from CitriStim?

    CitriStim can be used in all animal species and all life stages. We have strong data for its use in swine, poultry and ruminants.

    Launch of 2 new cheesecake flavors

    We are delighted to announce the creation of 2 new products under the Pancosma Cheesecake flavor offer with the following tonalities: Red fruits and Lemon. These two flavors are based on known flavor notes namely red fruits and citrus with a cheesecake twist.

     

    Pan cheesecake Lemon, code A60-3230

    The recommended dose in feed is: 100-800g/t

     

    Pan cheesecake Red fruits code A60-3231 

    The recommended dose in feed is: 100-800g/t

     

     

     

     

    For which production stage are Pan cheesecake flavors recommended?

    Pan cheesecake flavors have been specifically designed for use in young animal diets, especially piglets and calves. However, they can also be used in feed for all other production stages and species.  The exception is lemon cheesecake flavor, which cannot be used in diets for aquaculture.

     

    Why, when should you use Pan cheesecake flavors?

    Pan cheesecake flavors can be used to increase the attractiveness of feed, for flexibility in feed formulation or for marketing purposes.

     

    To find out more contact our flavor experts

    CONTACT OUR EXPERTS



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      About Pancosma flavors

      Pancosma has a history since 1947 of producing flavors. Today the company is one of the leaders in the creation, development, production and commercialization of sensory feed additives. The products are distributed in more than 75 countries.

      Pancosma has a portfolio of over 100 flavors with all types of profiles, such as vanilla, fruity (red fruits, citrus, apple), fenugreek, molasses and savory. Pancosma flavors are obtained combining carefully selected raw materials in precise proportions. They target the olfactory receptors located in the nose providing sophisticated olfactory properties.

      Whether you are looking for flavors to increase the attractiveness of feed, flexibility in feed formulation or for marketing purposes, our in-house team of flavorists has the capabilities to create solutions specifically adapted to your needs. They can formulate according to your technical requirements (product form, target dose and required profile) and/or specific demands (by country and species).

      Relevant articles

      Why feed palatability matters in animal husbandry

      Add flavour to animal feed

      FLAVOURS -add flavour to animal feed

      Flavours were at the origin of Pancosma’s creation more than 70 years ago. Today the company is one of the leaders in the creation, development, production and commercialization of sensory additives for the feed industry. Flavours are essential tools to use to improve feeds. They are a powerful asset provided one knows why and how to use them. There are different reasons for using a flavour. In any case, it is key to remember that application tests should be performed to select the most appropriate products to fulfill the customer’s needs and find the right dose for their specific product and process.

      Feeding XTRACT 6930 in poultry

      La performance des poulets de chair avec XTRACT