Trace mineral nutrition in EU needs updating

 

 

Current trace mineral nutrition in the EU is based on NRC 1994 data, which were established with research data from the 1960s.

 

A lot has changed for the past four decades and an update would be beneficial to animal nutrition.

 

Since agriculture started to industrialise in Northwestern Europe and left the principle of 'land bound production', an imbalance between input and output of nutritional soil requirements has occurred, said Wim Beeks, regional manager for Alltech in the Netherlands.

 

Current zinc and copper levels used in animal feed and drinking water led to excessive amounts in soil and surface water, and both national and European level targets have been set to reduce levels, said Beeks.

 

Paul Römkens of the Soil Science Centre Alterra-WUR said despite manure laws, there is still an increase of copper and zinc excretion in pig and cattle manure. If the Dutch soil and surface waters need a reduction of these minerals, rather strict measures are needed to obtain a desired quality.

 

Romkens said reduction is only possible with reductions in manure and feed input.

 

So far the EU has authorised about 2,850 feed additives, with only 57 compounds of trace minerals authorised containing eight trace minerals, said Wolgang Trunk, Policy Officer in the field of feed legislation for the European commission, DG SANCO.

 

Most of the authorisations contain inorganic source, including iron (9), iodine (4), cobalt (6), copper (7), manganese (8), zinc (7), molybdenum (2) and selenium (2).

 

Of the 57 approved compound trace minerals only 10 are approved from organic sources - iron (2), copper (2), manganese (2), zinc (3) and selenium (1).

 

Whether to use inorganic or organic sources depends on analysis, bio-availability and maximum contents of the product.

 

In the future applicants have to supply a detection method to prove the chelated content and to say something about the bioavailability of the mineral, said Trunk.

 

A supplier can currently claim a chelated product has how many percent of minerals, but that is going to change by requiring a certified detection method, Trunk added.

 

Most current information on trace mineral requirements date from NRC 1994, which was based on old research from the 1960s, said Lode Nollet, Alltech's technical manager for the Benelux.

 

Back than minerals were fed to avoid deficiency problems, but they are now fed to optimise animal health and performance, Tollet said.