UK's organic poultry farms are expected to have difficulties when feed restrictions come into force next year.

 

The restrictions will see non-organic feed percentage fall from 10 to 5 percent.

 

Feed formulated from 95 percent organic ingredients is achievable, but it would be costly and would threaten long-term supplies, according to nutritional consultant Cliff Nixey.

 

The 95 percent organic feed is possible only if organic soy continues to be available in sufficient volume, Nixey warned.

 

However, turkey starter diets may run into trouble as they require 28 percent protein, and there will be poor growth and feathering if protein slips to 25 percent, said Nixey.

 

The problem with formulating organic feed is to raise the protein content to a sufficiently high biological value with the ingredients approved for inclusion.

 

Available UK-grown protein-rich ingredients alone could not meet poultry diet needs, meaning that suitable ingredients had to be imported, which could risk ingredient standard and quality, according to Nixey.

 

Lysine and methionine were critical factors, and synthetic versions were not allowed.

 

Organic diets have issues regarding the environment and welfare as well, said Nixey.

 

The best and cheapest source of the two limiting amino acids was corn gluten, widely used to capitalise on the 10 percent non-organic allowance. However, it is derived from GM corn and its imbalanced amino acid content could lead to more nitrogen being excreted into the environment.

 

Among the UK-sourced ingredients, field beans and peas are a good source of lysine but have a low methionine + cystine content. They also contain anti-nutritive factors that lower protein utilisation.

 

Nixey said commercial de-hulling of UK protein-rich ingredients would greatly increase their nutritional value by increasing the available protein and reducing anti-nutritive factors.

 

Nixey is calling for the EU approval of synthetic methionine and lysine in organic poultry feed.

 

"The approval of methionine as an ingredient would reduce the need for maize gluten and would enhance the value of peas and beans significantly by correcting their weakness. It would reduce nitrogen excretion into the environment, reduce wet litter and potential welfare problems, and reduce the cost of organic diets,'' Nixey said.

 

But Susanne Padel from Aberystwyth University believed the EU Commission will not give its nod, and that fishmeal is more likely to be approved in the near future, but only if it came from a sustainable source.

 

Nixey agreed that fishmeal will be a good source of protein, but it poses an obstacle for commercial feed as fishmeal could not be used in feed mills that also produces ruminant feed.