FrançaisImpact of AGP withdrawal
Impact of antimicrobial growth promoters withdrawal (AGP) on the amino acid requirement of the growing pig
Antimicrobial growth promoters (AGP) have been banned from pig diets in the EU; other countries may follow in the near future. Schothorst Feed Research conducted a series of experiments to study interactions between AGP and amino acid requirements for growing-finishing pigs.
The results showed that without AGP the pigs required a higher amino acids content for maximum growth performance. Further studies indicated that especially threonine requirements may be increased. Possible reasons for these effects include increased microbial degradation of dietary protein in the digestive tract and increased utilisation of amino acids, especially threonine for endogenous protein secretion.
In addition, stimulation of the immune system without AGP may increase protein turnover and amino acid requirements for immune functions.
This emphasises the importance of a better understanding of amino acid requirements in relation to diet composition and farm circumstances. Feedstuffs and dietary ingredients that reduce microbial growth in the digestive tract may improve amino acid digestion and utilisation, whereas feedstuffs that increase endogenous losses may increase requirements of specific amino acids. Poor hygienic farm conditions may increase the need for specific amino acids involved in the immune response of pigs.
On the other hand, growing pigs with a high health status (e.g. SPF, specific pathogen free) are able to realise a higher protein deposition per kg of feed and therefore most likely need a higher amino acid to energy ratio for optimal use of their growth potential.
Improvement of health status on pig farms is required for future social acceptance and to increase the profit of pig production. Adjusting dietary composition and amino acid content to farm circumstances will be a prerequisite for optimal technical and economical results. This is a challenge for nutritionists and consultants in the near future.
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Download in Pdf (0.82 Mo) the article published in FEED Mix vol.14 no. 1 2006: |
Paul Bikker
