Pig trial finds new oils ‘similar or superior’ to zinc oxide

Pig farmers striving to replace zinc oxide could have a combination of plant products as a tool in the locker to counter digestive upsets in weaned piglets.

Scientists say combining oregano essential oil (OEO) and purple garlic powder (PGP) produced results in trial conditions that were as good as or better than the now largely unavailable zinc oxide.

The study was a collaboration between Scotland’s Rural College (SRUC) and Spanish organisations University of Murcia, the Institute for Agricultural and Environmental Development and pig feed company Dalland Hybrid Espana.

See also: Expert advice on zinc alternatives as ban in pig diets looms

Intestinal structure, bacterial species and bacterial resistance in pigs fed OEO and PGP were tested.

Researchers found the piglet groups that received the highest doses of these products had the best results (see “Study details”).

Jorge Rivera Gomis, a research associate at SRUC, said the research would help make the sector more resilient.

He said it would do this by “tackling current challenges such as antimicrobial resistance; reducing environmental contamination; meeting consumer demands of sustainably produced food; and adapting to new regulations and trends in animal production”.

Zinc oxide supplies

The EU Commission gave farmers a five-year warning in June 2017 when it decided to withdraw market authorisations for therapeutic levels of zinc by June 2022.

The Veterinary Medicines Directorate issued an extension period, but industry sources say the product had run out by the autumn of 2023.