Pig Farming Zinc Replacement Trial Teaser

BioComplex PLUS Feed Ingredient

As previously reported, Ekogea’s BioComplex Plus Feed ingredient is currently being trialled as a potential replacement for zinc additives in the creep feed of pigs.

The widespread use of Zinc Oxide in pig farming is being phased out by DEFRA by June 2022, by which time the industry needs to have found an alternative. Results from our ongoing trial indicate that BioComplex Plus can be such a viable replacement.

The Trial

BioComplex Plus is a 100% natural feed ingredient. It is an extract of Norwegian Kelp, a seaweed sustainably farmed off the coast of the Outer Hebrides. It works by greatly improving the gut microbiome and, by extension, lower gut functions of pigs. This makes it a valuable resource for the “post-zinc” pig industry.

The current trial has followed two cohorts of pigs from the same farm. One cohort were fed with BioComplex Plus as part of their creep diet, and the other with a standard creep feed including zinc oxide.

Updated Results

Our most recent release reported that the BioComplex Feed ingredient appeared to be continuing to outperform both previous non-zinc trials, and also the control cohort of a standard diet using zinc additives, as the weaners changed form their link diets to their creep diets, a notoriously difficult time for pig gut health.

We await the final results as the pigs reach their final weigh in, which we expect soon. But in the meantime, we’re releasing these revealing photos of faecal deposits in the pig sheds of the respective cohorts, the surest indicator of pig gut health and the effectiveness of BioComplex Plus.

Next Steps

We eagerly await the final results, with a full range of key performance indicators. If they confirm the initial results of the trial, then this could show a viable, cost effective, and widespread alternative to the use of zinc in the future of pig farming.