Antibiotic reduction and disease challenges

Raising healthy animals with less usage of antibiotics is the future challenge for animal husbandry. It is increasingly important that animal production occurs in a sustainable and responsible way. Consumers become more aware of the environmental impact of animal products and of possible human health threats such as antimicrobial resistance. Therefore, the demand for alternatives for antibiotics has grown.

Raising healthy animals with less usage of antibiotics is thus the future challenge for animal husbandry. What steps can be taken to reach this objective? Antibiotics cannot be simply replaced by one single alternative so to reach the goal, farmers will have to work on a multi-factorial approach, including farm management, climate and hygiene. Nutrition is an important part of this multi-factorial approach. Several steps can be taken from a nutritional point of view to increase the health of the animals.

Orffa offers multiple products that can help to improve resilience of animals against challenges of diseases. These products offer effective solutions for pathogen, parasite or pest control and help to support animal health in antibiotic free diets. With the use of additives, optimal productivity can be obtained without compromising food safety or quality.

A good starting point is optimizing gut health by improving digestibility of certain difficult to digest substrates like crude protein. In next steps, focus will be on optimizing the microbiota in the gut by lowering the number of pathogens and optimizing the amount of beneficial bacteria. Products like probiotics and butyrates are known for their positive contribution in this field. Nutrition can also play an important role in optimizing the immune system. With an optimized immune response, the animal is better protected and resistant to pathogenic challenges.

No-antibiotics-ever might become the new normal, Orffa presents several solutions! This way, we contribute to a sustainable future for all.