Study looks at zinc oxide in growth, health of pigs

Jan 09, 2023

A Kansas State University swine nutrition student is conducting research that focuses on potential alternatives to zinc oxide, a common ingredient in the diets of weaned pigs, in a project he says may contribute to the swine industry’s goal of improving the efficiency of pork production and animal welfare.

“Pharmacological levels of zinc from zinc oxide have been shown to improve growth performance and health status of the newly weaned pig,” graduate student Ethan Stas said in a university news release. “However, there are growing concerns with the use of pharmacological levels of zinc in swine diets because of environmental concerns.”

Stas — who is working with feed ingredients with an acid binding capacity at a pH level of 4 (known as ABC-4) — noted that the European Union has already banned the use of pharmacological levels of zinc and said that North America may follow a similar path

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Video: Biosecurity Compliance - Dr. Jean-Pierre Vaillancourt

In this episode of The Swine it Podcast Show Canada, Dr. Jean-Pierre Vaillancourt, professor of veterinary medicine at the University of Montreal, discusses the human side of biosecurity compliance. He explains why protocols often fail when people are tired, unconvinced, undertrained, or working with impractical systems, and how leadership, employee input, technology, feedback, and small incentives can make biosecurity more consistent on swine farms. Listen now on all major platforms!

"Biosecurity only works when people repeatedly do the right thing, and that means the system has to support compliance every day."

Meet the guest: Dr. Jean-Pierre Vaillancourt is a veterinarian and professor of veterinary medicine at the University of Montreal. His work focuses on biosecurity, infectious disease control, and practical risk reduction in animal production systems, with experience across swine and poultry health. Learn more from Dr. Jean-Pierre Vaillancourt on The Swine it Podcast Show Canada, available on all major platforms.