A Professor with the University of Saskatchewan says research into the role of the microbial population in the gut of the pig will help pork producers improve the health of their herds while cutting back on the use of antibiotics and reducing production costs.
The report, "From Research to Results: Measuring the Impact of Pork Research in Canada," released by the University of Saskatchewan and profiled in a YouTube webinar, looks at the benefits of swine research funded through partnerships involving Swine Innovation Porc.
Dr. Stuart Smyth, a Professor in the Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics at the University of Saskatchewan and one of the report's authors, says a multi-institutional project was conducted to establish a benchmark of what a healthy gut microbiome looks like within the Canadian swine sector with a goal of decreasing reliance on antibiotics.
Quote-Dr. Stuart Smyth-University of Saskatchewan:
This was a project that was led as part of a collaboration between the Universities of Guelph, Alberta, and Saskatchewan between 2018 and 2023 and it involved sampling the gut biome across multiple operations. It ultimately identified some unique opportunities on how to make a healthier gut microbiome, which then facilitated a reduction in the requirements to use antibiotics as part of pork production.
You know, if farmers have a healthier herd, they will be using less antibiotics so it's lowering their cost of production, but it's also got that animal welfare benefit in that, if you've got a healthy herd, you're not going to have pigs that are showing symptoms of being ill, the animal welfare concerns that go with sick livestock. It also provides a bit of a positive mental boost for the farmers, a little bit less stress about swine management and knowing that they've got healthier herds and less concerned about having to be focused and caring for animals that happen to be ill.
Dr. Smyth says, although the report doesn’t calculate the financial return from improved gut health, the project was able to demonstrate that practices that lead to healthier gut microbiomes do contribute to improved profitability. To access the webinar search YouTube for "From Research to Results: Measuring the Impact of Pork Research in Canada
Source : Farmscape.ca