The welfare of your animals is an important component of production. Proper nutrition, housing and management all contribute significantly to high standards of physical and mental well-being in animals. However, there are many challenges on-farm that can have equally adverse effects. One often-overlooked factor playing a role in farm operations is the threat from mycotoxins. Dr. Alexandra Weaver at Alltech Mycotoxin Management analyses mycotoxins and their impact on animal welfare and productivity.
Extract:
‘Mycotoxins and Their Impact on Animal Welfare and Productivity’
The welfare of your animals is an important component of production. Proper nutrition, housing and management all contribute significantly to high standards of physical and mental well-being in animals. However, there are many challenges on-farm that can have equally adverse effects. One often-overlooked factor playing a role in farm operations is the threat from mycotoxins. Mycotoxins are toxic metabolites naturally produced by molds that contaminate 60–80% of agricultural crops globally. The formation of mycotoxins can occur both pre- and post- harvest, as well as during storage. Once formed, they are highly stable, allowing them to persist during harvest, processing and storage.
Furthermore, multiple mycotoxins often co-contaminate a feedstuff or feed, increasing the challenge. The presence of these natural contaminants could threaten welfare standards by leading to performance losses, hunger, damage to tissues and organs, disease occurrence, discomfort and survivability. Although the action of mycotoxins is complex, their presence should be considered by the agricultural industry in order to minimise their influence on farm productivity, welfare and profitability.
Role of mycotoxins on feed intake and feeding behaviour
The consumption of mycotoxins by animals is well known to impact feed intake, feed efficiency and, in turn, growth performance. Meta-analytical reviews assessing the effects of a range of mycotoxin types and concentrations show the impacts of mycotoxin, where, for example, broilers may have reduced feed intake by 9–17% and lowered weight gain by 14–21%. Similarly, growing pigs may have reduced feed intake by 6–42% and weight gain by 11–45%. Furthermore, deoxynivalenol (DON) consumption by pigs can alter behaviour to increase time lying down and reduce time standing and drinking, compounding the effect on feed intake.
Click the download button below to read the complete version of ‘Mycotoxins and Their Impact on Animal Welfare and Productivity’ by Dr. Alexandra Weaver at Alltech Mycotoxin Management
