Nutrient requirements depend on animal health

On 11 June, over 100 participants attended the Symposium on “Nutrient requirements and animal health” in Wageningen, the Netherlands. The symposium was organised by Wageningen UR.

During the symposium the effects of animal health on nutrient requirements of pigs and poultry were evaluated, with particular emphasis on amino acids. Seven experts presented their view on various aspects of the theme.

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A large variation in the production performance of pigs and poultry between farms is observed in practice. This is related to variation in environmental and management factors and to variation in health status of animals. In a low or sub-optimal health status the immune system of animals is activated. In growing animals, an activated immune system has specific nutrient requirements and increases the competition between nutrients available for maintenance purposes, functioning of the immune system and for body protein deposition. The former indicates that nutrient requirements can be affected by health status and indicates that diets should be optimized taking into account health status of animals on farm. The latter will not only result in an improved nutritional support of the animal under a variety of health conditions but will also contribute to an overall improvement of nutrient utilization and resource efficiency, as well as to a reduction of nutrient excretion in the environment.

Participants were from Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, Ireland, Netherlands, Spain, United Kingdom and United States. About 70% of the participants was from the animal feed industry and its suppliers, the remainder mainly from research and academics.

The Symposium was sponsored by Diamond V.