Weaning Without Zinc Oxide

Industry is trying to determine how to effectively remove zinc oxide from piglet diets.

A ban on the use of zinc oxide in feed for weaned pigs in the European Union, due to its negative environmental impact, will come into effect in June 2022, so the hunt is on for alternative strategies.

The ban will leave the European pig sector with a challenge – how to produce pigs without using high-level zinc oxide at weaning – and without increasing the reliance on antibiotics to keep pigs free from diarrhea.

The removal of zinc oxide comes on the back of EU-wide regulation to reduce copper levels in piglet diets, with copper also providing protection against diarrhea.

Our webinar - Weaning Without Zinc Oxide​ - will explore strategies to ensure weaning without zinc oxide and with reduced post-weaning diarrhea, from a reduction in protein inclusion levels to finding the optimal level of minerals such as calcium or chloride or sodium to determining what inclusion rates of fiber might work, and other novel feeding approaches.

The experts will also offer insight into the combined effect of different feed additives as replacements for zinc oxide in piglet rations.