Philippine feed additives: AGPs out; nature-based supplements in

 

 

 

AGP control

Traditionally, Filipino farmers are resistant to new technologies and when AGPs were about to be gradually proscribed for livestock use following EU and US' ban, livestock raisers and feed producers naturally defied this new directive. Antibiotics such as chloramphenicol, salbutamol and ractopamine were the first few substances that were banned by the government but until now, these are still widely used by farmers despite the massive campaign against its rampant use. Animal health officials confess that they are "helpless" primarily because raisers and even feed producers are not keen on the idea of an "antibiotic-free" farming.

Following the unfruitful crusade against antibiotics, the government was mulling to totally ban all the use of AGPs.  But some experts nixed the plan, stating the diseases in the country are like that of a ticking bomb waiting to explode and completely prohibiting AGPs is one wrong move. The government then mandated a selective ban of antibiotics for farmers to slowly wean away from these medications. There was also one protocol implemented for feed manufacturers: if they use the allowed AGPs in their rations, it should be indicated in the feed tag; otherwise, they won't be sold as feeds but as a veterinary product and would require a prescription from a veterinarian. If the allowed AGPs are really necessary in feed rations, feed millers should obtain a veterinary order from the authorised government agency that these drugs are mixed in their products.

These tedious processes were seemingly effective as the use of antibiotics were significantly controlled in the commercial feed milling industry. But it was the other way around for farms. Mercy Buyoc of the Philippine Society of Animal Nutritionists (PHILSAN) says that due to myriad of farms in the country, it will be naturally hard for the government to check every farm for their AGP use. Fortunately nowadays, Buyoc reveals that hog farmers are now taking "moral responsibility" on the use of AGPs in their farms.  "They are aware of the harm that AGPs can do. We at PHILSAN are campaigning for the removal of antibiotics in farms and to move forward. I'm glad that even veterinary product suppliers already have initiative in weaning away farmers from AGPs." When managing AGPs in her client farms, Buyoc says she withdraws the animals from AGPs during the finishing stage but tells that other farms may not be able to do so. "No additives, no anything. I take upon myself to control the use of these additives but what about other farms and feed mills? That's what we need to work on, for every farm to at control or abstain from using AGPs" she said.

 

The rise of plant-based feed additives

According to Buyoc, the emergence of plant-based feed additives is an indication that livestock farmers and feed producers are prepping for an AGP-free farm and feed production. But the only hindrance is it is costlier than its synthetic counterparts. "Farmers hate it when they know that their costs are getting expensive. And these natural-based additives are really expensive because the process of manufacturing them into an additive - extracting, purifying - are quite complicated. Plus the inclusion rate of these additives when incorporated into the feed is quite high so that means more additives, more expenses," explained Buyoc. However, she said the increased production cost would give growers a big advantage in the end. "Even if it entails additional costs, raisers will be assured of good revenues because of the animals' good performance. I think we'll wait for at least five years for the plant-based feed supplements to completely make a breakthrough since the transition of farmers from synthetics to plant-based feed additive will not be that easy," tells Buyoc.

By far, numerous herbal feed additives are already on the use like garlic oil and essential oil but the most popular of all is oregano.  Local company Broadchem Corporation is selling oregano-based feed additives which is made in Europe and claims that these supplements have strong enteric bactericidal effects, no residues in milk, meat and eggs; no influence on taste of meat, milk or eggs; and no antibiotic resistance.

Even pig farms are using fresh oregano as an anti-microbial medication. Raisers boil the leaves and let the animals drink let the tea-like juice or had its oil extracted and be mixed on their feeds.

The encroachment of plant-based feed additives in the local livestock industry will happen real soon. "I think fifty percent of the livestock farming population is already embracing the idea that these can be better alternatives to antibiotics. If you would ask me three years ago, I would have shun the idea too because it is too expensive. But now, feed additives are getting cheaper, phytase before was priced at PHP1500 (US$32.43) a kilo, now its PHP350 (US$7.56) a kilo. In the same manner, prices of plant-based feed additives will also go down real soon."

 

More developments in the offing; feed additive trend remains

While the fad of using plant-based additives is slowly gaining, there is one institution that is developing a new technology that will organically treat crop residues as livestock feed. The National Institutes of Biotechnology and Applied Microbiology (BIOTECH) from the University of the Philippines-Los Baños has developed a microbial treatment of carbohydrate-rich agricultural crop residues for animal feeds that can be carried out at farm level. This technology is an offshoot of BIOTECH's Biofertilisers which were derived from farm wastes. During trials, these inoculants were shown to possess improved digestibility and protein content as in the case of the treated copra meal and cassava peels. BIOTECH claims that the procedure is cost-effective as it doesn't need any costly equipment and this also helps proper waste disposal. The institution is also in the process of manufacturing what probably is the first local feed additive (amino acids and antibiotics) using simple equipment and native raw materials. BIOTECH aims that this project will reduce the dependence of developing countries on imports of expensive but essential commodities.

Buyoc says BIOTECH is doing some trials of plant-based and synthetic feed additives which in the future will be mass-produced for the use of the local-farming industry. "BIOTECH aims to produce these supplements at a much lower cost which is especially designated to the rural community."

While there have been new alternatives for corn such as cassava and DDGS and even bananas, Buyoc said the use of feed supplements may not change at all, except that plant-based feed additive will be the new thing in the coming years. "Feed supplement will vary on the raw materials used. For instance, if there's shortage of corn, we will resort to wheat and soy but the formulation will certainly be different. If you are using copra meal, there will be deficiency on amino acids so you have to replace or fill that deficiency. If you're using banana meal, you will be using more supplements or enzymes for that matter for better digestibility because banana has low protein content. However the bottom line is the animals' performance. The farmers should see good results even their expenses are higher than their usual overhead cost."