Modern sows: Tailor made nutrition needed
Modern sows are now more productive than ever before due to tremendous advancements in the industry, but this new generation of sows brings a new set of challenges that require innovative nutrition and health management solutions.
This was one of the conclusions from the European Swine Nutrition Roundtable, organised by Novus International, Inc., in partnership with Newcastle University. The goal of this meeting was to bring some of the industry’s leading experts in sow and piglet health together to share knowledge and reveal opportunities for future development.
Nutritional requirements and feeding practices
“The swine genetics and management practices in Europe have changed drastically over the last decade,” said Silvia Peris, head of technical services in Europe and the Middle East for Novus. “However, this development has not been followed at the same speed by updates on nutritional requirements and feeding practices. With this event, Novus has brought awareness on this topic, while doing our best helping to update our nutritional approaches to match producer challenges.”
The event included 16 participants from across Europe, representing each of their unique markets as they spent 2 days discussing the obstacles between today’s producer and the next level of performance and profitability. This roundtable is one of many being held globally to help Novus better understand the challenges and needs faced by swine producers while also providing a platform for collaboration across the industry.
“At our base, we provide solutions to problems,” said Roberto Barea, technical services manager in Europe. “These collaborations are key to revealing the areas of highest priority to the swine industry and ways that Novus can help with nutritional solutions to either alleviate or eradicate barriers to swine reaching their full potential.”
Epigenetic strategies
Key topics discussed at the event included optimising gene expression through epigenetic strategies (feeding the sow with the intention of her passing along advantages to her progeny), overcoming oxidative stress and possible management interventions for low birthweight piglets. Top nutritionists, researchers and overall thought leaders all presented their area of expertise and learned from one another.
Going forward, Novus’s research and technical teams aim to take the insights from the event to further develop effective approaches to boost animal performance and producer profitability through its organic trace minerals, enzymes and other feed quality products.
