Importance to improve productive efficiency in the grow-finish stage

Grow-finish stage is the last phase in pig production that ends when the animal reaches the market weight. In this stage, feeding costs are the highest because pigs eat much more feed.

Feed is the main cost in pig production. Therefore, any improvement in feed efficiency in finishing pigs will have a great impact on farm profitability, since it will help to reduce both feed costs and the time until market weight.

In the United States and some other countries, pig producers started using products such as ractopamine in the grow-finish stage to reduce production costs and obtain leaner meat, which is a growing consumer demand, tough the use of this product has fallen lately.

Compromised situation of ractopamine in the united states

Ractopamine is a metabolic modifier used in growing-finishing pigs. It is a beta-adrenergic agonist that improves feed efficiency and modifies carcass characteristics, increasing muscle deposition and decreasing fat tissue (Almeida, Nuñez, & Miyada, 2012).

It was widely used in US farms until late 2019, when the main pig producers decided to stop using the additive, despite it is still approved by the FDA. This change was driven by the restrictions in the international market of pork meat with ractopamine residues. A key moment for US producers to stop using the additive was when China, which is the main pork consumer in the world, was affected by African swine fever. The outbreak caused local production to decrease and a significant increase of pork importations (Hess, 2020).

China, among other countries such as the ones in the European Union, do not allow the use of ractopamine in feed for food animals nor the presence of ractopamine residues in imported meat.

In order to take advantage of this business opportunity and avoid limitations in the international market, the biggest US producers stopped using ractopamine, whether in all farms or in some of them, to be able to offer meat without residues (News, n.d.). Moreover, the presence of residues in meat could be harmful for national consumers (Fund, 2020).

Pronutrients to improve productive efficiency in the grow-finish stage

Discontinuance of ractopamine by US pig producers created the need for alternative products that improve performance in the grow-finish stage. Among the natural alternatives, intestinal conditioner pronutrients are a useful tool to achieve this objective. They are natural molecules from plant extracts that improve the physiology of the enterocytes (Borrell, 2005), which are the cells in charge of feed digestion and nutrient absorption.

Their mechanism of action consists in inducing the expression of specific genes (CD1E, RIMBP2, among others) of the DNA related to the activity of the digestive mucosa, which leads to an improvement of growth and feed conversion rates (Borrell, Domenech, Martin, & Tesouro, 2016).

Many studies conducted in pigs of different ages and productive stages proved that intestinal conditioner pronutrients in the feed or the water improve diet utilization and reduce the amount of feed necessary to reach the market weight.

Other trials showed that these natural molecules had a positive impact on carcass composition: they help to obtain a higher percentage of meat (muscle) and lesser thickness of back fat, characteristics that are highly appreciated in the market.

• Field results

The trial below shows the effects of intestinal conditioner pronutrients on performance in finishing pigs during the 30 days prior to slaughter. None of the groups received growth promoters nor carcass modifiers during the trial.

Results prove that intestinal conditioner pronutrients in the grow-finish stage improve feed conversion by 2.8% and final weight by 2.16 kg/pig. Additionally, thanks to a better gut health, pronutrients helped to reduce mortality by 11.7%.

According to these data, every 1000 pigs with pronutrients for the last 30 days of fattening, the farm would produce 660 more kg of meat and save 1.8 tons of feed.

• Advantages of using pronutrients

Pronutrients are natural molecules that improving cell physiology. They do not leave residues in animals nor in their products, do not create resistances and do not require a withdrawal period.

Unlike ractopamine, pronutrients do not have any limitation in pork international market. Their use is permitted in China, the European Union, and the United States, among other countries around the world.

Conclusions

Feed represents one of the main costs, if not the most important, in pig production. This is of greater importance in the last stages, when feed intake is the highest. That is why diet utilization in the grow-finish stage is a key element to improve profitability.

Ractopamine was widely used in the United States to improve efficiency in finishing pigs, but limitations in the international market derived from the use of this additive and the risk of having residues in the meat has caused US pig producers to stop using it.

Intestinal conditioner pronutrients are based on a technology patented by Biovet S.A. and can improve feed conversion (2.8% improvement) and has a positive impact on carcass composition (more meat and less fat). Using these active compounds in growing-finishing pigs is highly recommended to improve farm profitability.

Unlike ractopamine, pronutrients do not limit international exportations and pose no risk for human health, since they are natural molecules that do not leave residues, nor do they require withdrawal period.

Intestinal conditioner pronutrients are marketed under the name Alquernat Nebsui (or IFTA NBS in the USA) by Biovet, S.A. The product is available in premix and liquid.

Bibliography

• Almeida, V. V. de, Nuñez, A. J. C., & Miyada, V. S. (2012). Ractopamine as a metabolic modifier feed additive for finishing pigs: A review. Brazilian Archives of Biology and Technology, 55(3), 445–456. https://doi.org/10.1590/S1516-89132012000300016
• Borrell, J. (2005). Uso de pronutrientes de origen natural en veterinaria. RACVE (Real Academia de Ciencias Veterinarias de Esp.
• Borrell, J., Domenech, C., Martin, N., & Tesouro, A. (2016). Pronutrients use in poultry nutrition (S11-0224). In XXV World’s Poultry Congress (p. 97). Beijing, China. Retrieved from http://www.wpsa.com/images/downloads/tables_of_contents/The Proceedings of WPC2016-Abstracts-20160920.pdf
• Fund, A. L. D. (2020). Petition for emergency rulemaking.
• Hess, A. (2020). Going ractopamine-free not so simple. Retrieved from https://www.nationalhogfarmer.com/business/going-ractopamine-free-not-so-simple
• News, A. (n.d.). Estados Unidos producirá carne de cerdo sin ractopamina para exportar a China.