April 5, 2023

 

Arm & Hammer's Dr. Xandra Smith: Pillars to subtract antibiotics from the pig production equation

 

Many sleepless nights have been suffered by pig producers in China and parts of Asia since African swine fever (ASF) strikes some years back.

 

It makes antibiotics a more tempting option to control diseases, but it is also raising the potential of antimicrobial resistance.

 

At this year's VIV Asia in Bangkok, Thailand, Dr. Xandra Smith, Arm & Hammer Animal and Food Production's director of innovation and product development, shares with eFeedLink her view on antibiotic use. She also participates in a panel discussion focused on the science-based approach to producing pigs with less dependency on antibiotics.

 

Dr. Smith reveals more about the three pillars — early microbial succession in piglets, healthy microbiome support and the assessment of bacterial pathogen challenges — behind making that endeavour possible.

 

 
Dr. Xandra Smith, Arm & Hammer Animal and Food Production's director of innovation and product development

 

The use of antibiotics in livestock farming was estimated to increase by 8% between 2020 and 2030, according to recent research ("Global trends in antimicrobial use in food-producing animals: 2020 to 2030”). What's your perspective on this finding?

 

If antibiotic use is predicted to go up by 8% in 2020-2030 while meat and milk production is expected to rise by another 20%, these trends show we are still going to be using fewer antibiotics per animal.

 

However, we are still 10 years away, so we don't know what solutions (as alternatives to antibiotics) are going to be developed by then.

 

Some of the problems (with antibiotic overuse) have to do with regulatory policies. In Europe and the United States, it was only with the introduction of regulations that antibiotics are taken out of animal diets.

 

But, awareness of antibiotic resistance might not be as widespread in Southeast Asia. Additionally, antibiotics are cheap, and they provide an effective way to help increase protein production. 

 

Still, could we soon achieve the production of healthy pigs with the complete removal of antibiotics from production?

 

We can get away from using antibiotic growth promoters. Currently, we have enough tools not to use them. However, we are going to see diseases emerging and reemerging. This is because by taking antibiotics out, diseases are returning.

 

In Denmark, for example, when livestock producers took out antibiotics from production in the 1990s, ileitis (or diarrhea caused by Lawsonia intracellularis) became prominent at that point in time.

 

When diseases strike, we need to be able to treat the problems in other ways apart from antibiotics. In the future, we may be able to avoid using antibiotics, but right now, they are still needed to control diseases.   

 

(In terms of improving animal health), We need to start with sows: if the sows are healthy, the piglets are healthy, and this would lead to good production.  

 

At this year's VIV Asia 2023, you will highlight the pillars of raising pigs with less dependency on antibiotics. Please describe each of these pillars and the combined outcome they would achieve.

 

The first one that is most important is microbial succession in piglets because if you start with the right bacteria, microbial succession occurs and a healthy gut can be achieved. There will be a well-developed immune system so, pigs can achieve their full potential.

 

The second pillar is immunomodulation. In relation to this pillar, Arm & Hammer has CELMANAX (a yeast cell wall product that combines the benefits of yeast culture, yeast extract and hydrolysed yeast) which has prebiotic  — as well as immunomodulatory  —  effects. When animals are administered CELMANAX, it modulates their immune systems in such a way that they produce more immunoglobulins, hence increasing immunoglobulins in sow milk. These antibodies then enter the piglets and thus make them healthier. That's the effect of CELMANAX.

 

Based on its benefits, CELMANAX can make vaccines more effective. It's not directly affecting the ASF virus, but it's helping the animal better respond to it.

 

With CERTILLUS (a targeted microbial solution with proprietary strains of Bacillus), we first determine which pathogens are present (at a certain farm or region) and decide which of the CERTILLUS strains is most likely to inhibit all the pathogens in the area. We can then develop a product of two to three strains of CERTILLUS bacteria that can control the pathogens there. We would return in six months and ensure that the bacteria are still effective. Otherwise, we can change the formulation if we need to.

 

(At VIV Asia 2023), We are also showcasing BG-MAX, which combines the benefits of refined functional carbohydrates with bentonite to protect against multiple mycotoxins.

 

These are the three solutions we will present at this year's show.

 

- Terry Tan, eFeedLink