May 23, 2007

European researchers discover natural alternatives to replace antibiotics for pigs

Growth-promoting antibiotics in swine and livestock feed will soon be replaced with natural alternatives as REPLACE (replacing antibiotics), a project funded by the European Union, has developed herbal plants and essential oils as an effective substitute for feed antimicrobials. 

John Wallace of the Rowett Research Institute in the UK and coordinator of the REPLACE said the antibiotic ban had a varying impact on livestock production and has placed livestock producers in Europe at a competitive disadvantage as some countries such as US have no restrictions on its use.

Funded under the "Food quality and safety programme" of the Sixth Framework Programme (FP6), selected materials came from 500 samples of plant material that are either indigenous to Europe or naturally grown. These materials were collected during the Rumen-up project in FP5 to decrease methane and nitrogenous emissions from ruminants and to alleviate nutritional stress.

Wallace explained that methane is not only bad for the environment but also for animals as they lose an important energy source.

In FP6, the samples were tested for use on pigs for their potential to control infections and immunity to E. coli and other parasites, as well as for their impact on food safety and feed efficiency.

The project has identified three promising materials for which it is filing patent applications. One material is been used for traditional herbal medicine and was found effective in control of diarrhoea among piglets during the study.

Though he refused to identify the materials, Wallace believes that the three candidates are commercially viable. He said that further research is needed to prove their efficiency and safety.

The consortium is currently at the stage of drawing up candidate field trials and figuring best way to spend the remaining money to prove the efficiency of these candidates. Trials are expected to start in the coming months.