Piglets ‘can thrive’ without zinc oxide

Pigs can still thrive despite the removal of potentially harmful zinc oxide from their diets, says an industry specialist.

Zinc oxide has been used for many years in the industry to reduce diarrhoea in post-weaned pigs. But concern over the potential risk to the environment saw the therapeutic use of zinc oxide banned across the European Union in 2022.

Brexit enabled the government’s Veterinary Medicines Directorate to grant an extension in the UK, allowing British farmers to use up any product purchased. But that authorisation expired in June 2022.

Alternative methods

Following the ban, pig producers have been on a deadline to use any remaining products and utilise alternative methods of supporting gut health and preventing post-weaning diarrhoea in their weaned pigs.

Animal feed company Harbro, which offers a tailored nutritional programme to its customers, began removing medicinal zinc oxide from its Fostercare piglet range in 2023, and has also added a number of new products.

Some producers are achieving excellent results without medicinal zinc in their livestock’s diets, says Harbro’s pig business development manager James Hall, who is working with a number of farmers.

Mr Hall said: “We are not seeing any negative impacts from removing the zinc oxide from the diets when the adjusted nutritional approach is combined with good hygiene and management in the nursery.

“We have customers who are currently achieving weights of 35kg in their 10-week old pigs, compared with the 30kg industry average. On a 300 sow unit, improving nursery weight by 5kg could be worth an additional £200,000 a year.”

Harbro technical specialist Kevin Stickney said there was no silver bullet to the withdrawal of zinc oxide. Producers should employ number of different strategies – including improved hygiene, he added.

Piglets could thrive without medicinal zinc, but there had good on-farm hygiene – and assistance through the water supply immediately after weaning, when feed intake rates were less predictable.