Avian influenza, or bird flu, is reaching a critical juncture where even cows in the United States were infected - then followed by a food scare involving the discovery of bird flu viral residues in pasteurised milk in the country.

 

Unlike poultry flocks, cows are not culled in huge numbers to keep bird flu in check. Pasteurisation still stands as an effective approach to sufficiently eliminate the virus. The possibility of bird flu transmission to chicken meat is considerably "remote" but the virus can still penetrate eggshells (pages 4-5), according to Enzo Palombo, Professor of Microbiology at Swinburne University of Technology.

 

Like some diseases, bird flu causes substantial damage to the production of a cheap protein source, imperiling food security in some countries.

 

If not as severe as avian influenza, compromised poultry gut health is also a very serious challenge on farms and can escalate to an "economic toll" that is twofold: weakened bird welfare and "additional costs associated with decreased productivity and increased mortality," according to Evonik. With antibiotic growth promoters (AGPs) being phased out of poultry diets in some regions, a good alternative is needed. In this regard. Evonik sees tributyrin, a short-chain fatty acid butyric acid in a triglyceride form, as a viable solution and explains more (pages 8-9) in this month’s Livestock & Feed Business.

 

For humans and animals, health is highly complex; furthermore, both species are connected by the way the latter is produced for the former’s consumption. And, with the recent outbreaks of animal diseases, some livestock producers may contend with the use of antibiotics, now known to impact human health through their residues in meat.

 

These difficult times compel us to seek an answer that can tackle one problem without creating another. Therefore, the health of poultry production should be protected, but not by using AGPs at risky levels. A suitable alternative will not only improve poultry performance and production but also ensure safe food for human consumption.

 

The full article is published on the July 2024 issue of LIVESTOCK & FEED Business. To read the full report, please email to inquiry@efeedlink.com to request for a complimentary copy of the magazine, indicating your name, mailing address and title of the report.