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I N N O V A T I O N S A N D P R A C T I C A L A D V I C E F O R S U C C E S S F U L F L O C K C A R E POULTRY H E A L T HT O D A Y
7What on earth does it really mean?
and how does it apply to poultry health?
S U S Ta i n a b i l i T y
2NO.
Sanderson’sPhil Stayer:
Sustainability‘nothing new’
Technically, all poultry in
the US is ‘antibiotic free’
Prevention claimsessential for
ensuring flockhealth, welfare
20
26
27
U S e d i t i o nZP130544
P O U L T R Y H E A L T H T O D A Y . C O M
POULTRY H E A L T HT O D A Y
I N N O V A T I O N S A N D P R A C T I C A L A D V I C E F O R S U C C E S S F U L F L O C K C A R E
c o v e r S T o r y
7
You can’t pick up a farm or business journal these days without being
assaulted by what could easily be the buzzword of the decade: Sustainability.
Poultry Health Today editors cut through the rhetoric, sought opinions from
scientists and examined the numbers to learn how the concepts of sustainability
apply to day-to-day, flock-health programs.
s U s ta i n a B i L i t Y
w h a t ’ s i n s i d e
5
Temperature of drinking water may affect bodyweightduring brooding
Link between fishmeal, Eimeria and necrotic enteritis in broilers explored
S. enteritidis frequency in eggssimilar in conventional and enriched cage systems
Cracked corn has positive effect in broilers
•
•
•
•
S O U N D S C I E N C E
W O R D S & N U M B E R S
5430010
4
Sponsored by
P O U L T R Y H E A L T H T O D A Y . C O M
Memorable quotes and figures
from the world of poultry health
What on earth does it really mean? And how does it apply to poultry health?
2
‘ S U S Ta i n a b i l i T y i S r e a l ly n o T h i n g n e Wf o r P o U lT r y ’
‘ r o tat e S m a r t e r ’Greg Mathis, PhD, urges
producers to think twice whenjuggling anticoccidials.
P r o g r a m U r g e S lo n g - t e r m P l a n n i n g
f o r c o c c i d i o S i SZoetis recently launched a new
science-based initiative aimed at developing more sustainable
coccidiosis-management programs.
26
Poultry Health Today checked into
whether poultry raised without
antibiotics was more wholesome
than meat from medicated birds.
27
Judiciously using some antimicrobials
to prevent — not just to treat and
control — poultry disease is still
advocated by FDA and veterinarians
for protecting flocks against some
ubiquitous gut diseases.
R U L E S & R E G S
R E A L I T Y C H E C K
31
Never say never:
Timothy Cummings, DVM, applauds
the antibiotic-free trend while
sharing a few words of caution.
T H E L A S T W O R D
30
Zoetis scientists recently presented
more findings from their ongoing
research programs to improve poultry
health and welfare. Sanderson Farms veterinarian Phil Stayer supports the industry’spush for more sustainability, buthe doesn’t think it’s a new trendwhen it comes to managing poultry health. “You want a lowcarbon footprint?” he asks. “Maximize your feed efficiency;avoid waste; find ways to be more efficient.”
D I S C O V E R I E S
REALITY 20
T H E R E A LW O R L D
4
W O R D S & N U M B E R S
54 30010
6.2
500,000+
“”
34
The carbon footprint index for chicken, compared to 16.2 for beef, 12.0 for lamb and 9.0 for pork.SoUrce: 2020: The chicken can feed The World
If we don’t respect the feelings of consumers and other stakeholders,they’re not going to respect us. What we’re finding is we can’t speak tothem as if we’re arguing policy issues. Even if their feelings aren’t rational, they’re still valid as feelings.Joe forSThoffer, direc Tor of corPoraTe commUnicaTionS, PerdUe farmS
“”
“No legislation or regulation can keep bacteria from existing…The only way to ensure our food is safe 100% of the time is by following science-based procedures when raising/growing, processing, handling and cooking it.”Tom SUPer, naTional chicken coUncil
Percent of Americans who feel the agriculture industry is transparenton production practices — up from 22% in 2012.SoUrce: foodThink, emerging faiTh in food ProdUc Tion, march 2014
83.6 Pounds per capita of chicken consumedby Americans, more than anyone else inthe world. SoUrce: broiler chicken indUSTry ke y fac TS, The naTional chicken coUncil
Number of progeny produced by one coccidial oocyst in 4 to 7 days.SoUrce: overvie W of coccidioSiS in PoUlTry, MERCK VETERINARY MANUAL
I N N O V A T I O N S A N D P R A C T I C A L A D V I C E F O R S U C C E S S F U L F L O C K C A R E POULTRY H E A L T HT O D A Y
POULTRY H E A L T HT O D A Y
5
2
S O U N D S C I E N C E
temperature of drinking water may affect bodyweightduring brooding
link between fishmeal, Eimeria and necrotic enteritisin broilers explored
insights into how fishmeal in poultry rations and Eimeria infection may predispose broilers to necrotic enteritis come from a study by Australian investigators.
Although it is widely established that ahigh-protein, fishmeal-supplementedstarter diet along with Eimeria infection can predispose birds to clinical necrotic enteritis after Clostridium perfringensinfection, exactly how is not clearly known, scientists say. Consequently, they analyzed the cecal microbiota of four groups of broilers with the use of deep pyrosequencing — a method of DNA analysis.
One group was infected with Eimeria andreceived a control diet, another received
The temperature of drinking water during brooding may affect the bodyweight of broiler chicks, according to a University of Arkansas study.1
In their study, investigators provided 225 day-old male broilers with free accessto water that was either 40° F (4.44° C), 70° F (21.11° C) or 100° F (37.78° C). They monitored water temperature hourlyand adjusted it as needed during the 72-hour treatment period. The scientistsalso vaccinated birds for coccidiosis and provided feed based on Cobb nutritional standards.
Broilers that received the hottest waterwere significantly lighter (P ≤ 0.03) thanbroilers in the other groups on day 14,weighing in at 463 g (1.02 lb) compared to501 g (1.10 lb) for the other two groups.
Although there were no significant differences regarding feed conversion oraverage weight among the three groups on days 7, 31 and 42, birds that received
a fishmeal-supplemented diet and a thirdgroup was infected with Eimeria and in addition received fishmeal. A fourth groupwithout Eimeria did not receive fishmealand served as a control.
Fishmeal had a strong effect on intestinalmicrobiota, similar to the reported effectsof C. perfringens infection. Investigatorsalso noted major changes in the prevalence of various lactobacilli, whiletotal, culturable Lactobacillus counts remained stable. Other microbiota such as Ruminococcaceae were affected, as determined by an increased number of operational taxonomic units — a methodof defining a species based on DNA sequence results.
Eimeria induced different changes in microbiota. For example, Ruminococcaceaewere reduced in number, and three unknown clostridium species increased in abundance. Eimeria did not significantlyinfluence changes in measures such as pH or formic acid, while fishmeal induceddramatic changes.
“Both fishmeal feeding and Eimeriainfection induced significant changes in the gut microbiota; these changes mayplay an important role in predisposing
continued
“Both fishmeal feeding and Eimeria infection induced significant changes in the gut microbiota; these changes may play an important role in predisposing birds to
necrotic enteritis”
P O U L T R Y H E A L T H T O D A Y . C O M
the hottest water had numerically lowerbodyweight compared to the other groups,Christopher Eagleson, an undergraduate at the university, reported at the 2014 International Poultry Scientific Forum.
I N N O V A T I O N S A N D P R A C T I C A L A D V I C E F O R S U C C E S S F U L F L O C K C A R E POULTRY H E A L T HT O D A Y
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S O U N D S C I E N C E
S. enteritidis frequency in eggssimilar in conventional and enriched cage systems
The frequency of egg contamination withSalmonella enteritidis did not significantlydiffer between hens housed in conven-tional and enriched cages, investigators sayin the March 2014 issue of Poultry Science.3
They conducted their study because mosthuman illness caused by S. enteritidisis attributed to consumption of contami-nated eggs and because animal-welfareconcerns have increasingly influencedhousing for commercial poultry, leading to the increased use of enriched cages.
In two trials, investigators orally adminis-tered S. enteritidis to groups of laying hens
birds to necrotic enteritis,” say S.B. Wu, ofthe University of New England, Australia,and colleagues in Veterinary Microbiologyonline, March 14, 2014.2
housed either in conventional cages or incolony cages enriched with perching andnesting. They then cultured all eggs laidbetween 5 and 25 days after inoculation.
In both trials combined, S. enteritidis wasrecovered from 3.97% of eggs from hens in conventional cages and from 3.58% ofeggs laid by hens in enriched cages — a difference that was not statistically significant, report Richard K. Gast, of theUSDA’s Agricultural Research Service,Athens, Ga., and colleagues.
The more coarse corn was added to the birds’ diets, the more body and gizzard weight increased.
POULTRY H E A L T HT O D A Y
1 eagleson C, et al. impact of drinking water temperature duringbrooding stage on bodyweights of broiler chicks. Proceedings, international Poultry scientific Forum, atlanta, 2014.
2 wu sB, et al. two necrotic enteritis predisposing factors, dietaryfishmeal and Eimeria infection, induce large changes in the caecalmicrobiota of broiler chickens. Vet Microbiol. 2014 Mar 14;169(3-4):188-97.
3 Gast RK, et al. Contamination of eggs by Salmonella enteritidisin experimentally infected laying hens housed in conventional orenriched cages. Poult sci. 2014 Mar;93(3):728-733.
4 singh Y, et al. influence of feeding coarse corn on performance,nutrient utilization, digestive tract measurements, carcass characteristics, and cecal microflora counts of broilers. Poult sci.2014 Mar;93(3):607-616.
link between fishmeal, Eimeria andnecrotic enteritis in broilers exploredcontinued
cracked corn has positive effect in broilers
cracked corn fed to broilers increasedweight gain and gizzard size and had apositive effect on gut microflora, say NewZealand investigators.4
In their study, they fed broilers either 600 g/kg of finely ground corn or replacedthe ground corn with 150, 300, 450 or 600g/kg of coarse corn. Each diet was fed inmash form and offered free-choice from 11 to 35 days after hatch.
The more coarse corn was added to thebirds’ diets, the more body and gizzard
weight increased. Although breast-meatyield decreased and abdominal fat increased with increasing levels of coarsecorn, there was no effect on carcass yield,the investigators report in the March 2014issue of Poultry Science.
Lactobacillus spp. and Bifidobacteria spp.counts increased, while counts of Clostridium spp., Campylobacterium spp.and Bacteroides spp. decreased as levels of coarse corn increased.
The results show that coarse corn can totally replace ground corn in mash dietsfed to broilers, conclude Y. Singh, of MasseyUniversity, Palmerston, and colleagues.
Sustainability, sustainability, sustainability.
You can’t pick up a farm or business journal
these days without being assaulted by what
could easily be the buzzword of the decade.
make no mistake, sustainability is an
important target for any business, in any
industry. it’s also paramount to consumers.
according to a 2012 nielsen survey,
two out of three consumers say they
prefer to buy products from companies
that they believe to be socially and
environmentally responsible.
in the poultry industry, these trends are
reshaping every link in the production chain.
But what exactly does it mean for poultry to
be “sustainable”? does poultry health play
a role in meeting this objective? and does
the industry’s idea of sustainability align
with its customers’?
Poultry Health Today editors cut through
the rhetoric, sought opinions from scientists
and examined the numbers to learn how
the concepts of sustainability apply to
day-to-day, flock-health programs.
What on earth does
it really mean?
and how does it
apply to poultry
health?
s U s t a i n a B i L i t Y
C O V E RS T O R Y
P O U L T R Y H E A L T H T O D A Y . C O M 7
I N N O V A T I O N S A N D P R A C T I C A L A D V I C E F O R S U C C E S S F U L F L O C K C A R E POULTRY H E A L T HT O D A Y
8
back in the 1970s, the word
“sustainability” was used mainly by
environmental groups to promote the
conservation of natural resources while
curbing pollution and waste.
That definition has held up well over
the years and has proved to be, well,
pretty sustainable. But as the term
comes into wider use, it begins to
mean much more to more people and
more industries. It depends on their
values, interests and beliefs.
For the sake of establishing a baseline
for this article, let’s turn to the popular
UN definition, which describes it as
“meeting the needs of the present,
without compromising the ability
of future generations to meet their
own needs.”1
In agriculture, this generally translates to
producing more with less — a goal that
morphs into a dire need when looking at
global population trends. According to a
recent UN report, food production will
need to increase by 70% to feed the
world’s 9.6 billion people by 2050 —
a little more than 35 years from now —
while limiting greenhouse gases and the
need for additional land and water.2
That’s a super-sized order.
Furthermore, sustainability experts say,
agriculture needs to meet this goal by
balancing economic viability with social
and environmental stewardship. The big
question is how.
Advantages for poultry
Fortunately for the industry, poultry
production already has considerable
advantages over other livestock systems
in terms of energy efficiency, carbon
emissions, feed conversion, land and
water use, and waste.3
Factor in poultry’s high nutritional
value, relatively low cost and universal
palatability and
it’s no wonder that
poultry is expected to continue to top
the charts for meat consumption and
production for decades to come, both
in the US and abroad.4
To manage this growth responsibly,
some commercial US poultry farms
are working to increase production
on existing land, while minimizing
pressure on the environment —
an approach that is known as
“sustainable intensification.”
Maintaining good poultry health
is critical to this strategy, as it directly
affects human and animal welfare,
economic viability and environmental
impact — the very cornerstones
of sustainable production. How the
industry keeps its flocks healthy is also
the subject of heated debate, however.
As producers work to optimize bird
health and performance in intensified
settings, they also must answer to an
inquisitive public that is increasingly
concerned with how birds are
raised and what goes into their feed
and water.
sSS
SS
Tossing around the ‘S word’
0
400
300
200
100
1980 1990 2000 2010 2020 2030 2040 20500.0
0.4
0.3
0.2
0.1
Mea
t con
sum
ptio
n (m
illio
n M
T)
Available arable land (ha/person)
Broilers Pork Beef Arable land/person
9
Some see this as a challenge — not
least because consumer perceptions of
sustainability don’t always reflect the
realities of efficient, high-volume
commercial production. Ask typical
American consumers what “sustainable
poultry” means and they’ll probably
describe poultry and eggs produced under
a wide range of alternative systems —
organic, free-range or antibiotic-free,
to name a few. In response, a growing
number of retailers and foodservice
companies are adopting these
consumer-driven standards as well.
Sound alternatives?
These trends have prompted the rapid
growth of new production systems, which
in many ways have been good for the
industry. Consumers have more choices,
and producers benefit from higher
margins and robust demand for niche
products. But is the rise of organic,
free-range and antibiotic-free poultry
actually making the industry
more sustainable?
Not necessarily, says Stephen Shepard,
a poultry specialist at Farm Animal
Care Training and Auditing
(FACTA), which audits, assures and
implements animal-welfare programs
for producers internationally.
Shepard supports alternative production
practices; in fact, he routinely consults
with poultry operations that want to
produce birds “raised without antibiotics”
— a more accurate description than the
popular “antibiotic-free” — to establish
successful and sustainable programs.
However, he does not believe that
approach is necessarily more sustainable
than conventional practices. In fact, he
says, the risks to animal welfare, food
safety and efficiency tend to be much
higher in these alternative systems.
“The practice of never using antibiotic
feed additives results in higher feed
conversions, higher production costs
and, if not managed properly, more
sick birds,” Shepard explains. “This is
not only a serious welfare issue, but it
also results in a higher bacterial freight
for poultry coming into the processing
plant, which increases the risk of
contaminated meat.”
continued on page 11
sSS sFigure 1 World beef, pork and poultry consumption, 1980-2050
Sources: global insight demand analysis to 2050; bauman and capper (2011) Southwest nutrition and managment conference, Tempe, aZ
s U s t a i n a B i L i t YCOVER S
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P O U L T R Y H E A L T H T O D A Y . C O M
I N N O V A T I O N S A N D P R A C T I C A L A D V I C E F O R S U C C E S S F U L F L O C K C A R E
Demand for increased transparency has led to the proliferation
of poultry labeling terms — many of which surface in discussions
about sustainability and production practices. What these terms
actually mean, however, is sometimes less clear. Following are
four common labeling terms and their official USDA definitions:
Making sense of poultry labels
L A B E L I N G T E R M U S D A D E F I N I T I O N W O R T H N O T I N G
Producers must demonstrate to the agencythat the poultry has been allowed access tothe outside.
There are no official requirements for access, or for the type, quantity or quality of outdoor space.
The terms “antibiotic-free” or “no antibioticsadded” may be used on labels for meat orpoultry if sufficient documentation is provided by the producer to the agencydemonstrating that the animals were raisedwithout antibiotics.
When antibiotics are used in livestock and poultry production, strict withdrawalperiods must be followed before the animals are processed. USDA monitors meat and poultry to ensure that in the unlikely event that antibiotic residues arepresent, they do not exceed the tolerancelevels deemed unsafe by FDA and USDA. The industry has a strong record of compliance in this area.
A product containing no artificial ingredientor added color and is only minimallyprocessed. Minimal processing means thatthe product was processed in a manner that does not fundamentally alter the product. The label must include a statement explaining the meaning of the term natural (such as “no artificial ingredients;minimally processed”).
Products labeled “natural” often make use of consumer-pleasing images of idyllicfarms and green pastures. However, thisterm has nothing to do with how the poultry was raised or slaughtered.
2
3
1No antibiotics added
Free range, free roaming
Natural
Managed organically from the second day of life
Raised free-range, weather permitting, andwithout any antibiotics, animal byproducts orother prohibited feed ingredients
Raised on certified organic land meeting all organic crop production standards
Raised per animal-health and welfare standards
Fed 100% certified organic feed, except fortrace minerals and vitamins used to meet nutritional requirements
•
•
•
•
•
Many consumers consider “certified organic” the most reliable labeling term for alternative poultry, as it designates compliance with clearly defined and enforced criteria. However, it should onceagain be noted that there are no clear standards for “free-range” (see above). Contrary to what consumers widely believe, many organic birds spend most or all of their lives indoors.
4 Organic
10
To address these concerns, the US Food
and Drug Administration introduced new
guidelines in December to limit the use
of “medically important” antimicrobials
— that is, antibiotics and synthetic
therapeutics that are critical to human
medicine — to the treatment, control
and prevention of specific diseases in
food animals.
Over the next 3 years, feed and water
medications containing medically
important antibiotics will lose their
performance claims and will be available
only with a veterinarian’s prescription
and oversight. (Antibiotics with approved
claims for improved weight gain and feed
efficiency that the FDA does not deem
medically important can still be used for
this purpose under the new guidelines.)
According to Douglas Call, PhD, a
professor of molecular epidemiology at
Washington State University’s Paul G.
Allan School of Animal Health, the
FDA’s new guidelines could be beneficial
in the face of rising antimicrobial
resistance, although he observes that there
is scant evidence linking animal antibiotic
use to resistant human infection.
In an opinion piece he published in
The Seattle Times last January, Call reports
that farm animals are reliably linked to
only three of 17 microbes that cause
most resistant infections, according to the
Centers for Disease Control, and 7.5%
of related deaths.5 Furthermore, about
28% of feed antibiotics are ionophores,
which are never used in human medicine.
Another 42% are tetracyclines, which are
used in humans only rarely.
It remains to be seen whether the new
FDA guidelines will benefit public health.
But according to Call, one thing is
certain: Due to increased veterinary costs
and loss of production gains attributed
to antibiotics, food prices will rise.
continued
11
s U s t a i n a B i L i t YCOVER S
TORY
For these reasons, Shepard believes that
judicious antibiotic use is critical to both
poultry and human health — not only to
control and prevent disease, but also to
ensure the ethical treatment of animals.
But it shouldn’t always be necessary to
wait for birds to get sick to start using
antibiotics, he says. In many cases, he
thinks it is actually more judicious —
and more sustainable — to use antibiotics
under veterinary supervision before
they get sick.
“Antibiotic feed additives help maintain
a healthy gut by controlling bacteria that
are malignant to overall gut health, and a
healthy gut leads to better absorption of
nutrients,” he reasons. “As a result, we get
better feed conversions. And when we
get better feed conversions, we promote
sustainable agriculture through more
efficient land and water usage.”
Resisting resistance
Critics of using antibiotics to improve
flock performance argue that these
products may make birds grow bigger
and faster, but that they also might be
contributing to antimicrobial resistance
in both animals and humans. Whatever
their efficiency benefits, the costs to
public health could be greater, they
claim, so using antibiotics solely for this
purpose is unsustainable.
Tossing around the ‘S word’
“Therapeutic use of antibiotics in both human and veterinarymedicine is the biggest driver of medically important antibiotic resistance, as is the indiscriminate use of antibiotics in countries thatlack any regulatory oversight.” D O U G L A S C A L L , P H D
sSS
S s
P O U L T R Y H E A L T H T O D A Y . C O M
continued from page 9
I N N O V A T I O N S A N D P R A C T I C A L A D V I C E F O R S U C C E S S F U L F L O C K C A R E POULTRY H E A L T HT O D A Y
12
Aminoglycosides Cephalosporins Ionophores Lincosamides
Macrolides Penicillins Sulfas Tetracyclines NIR
42.2
28.9
1.24.2
6.6
3.8
11.5
1.50.2
2010 Summary report on antimicrobials Sold or distributed for Use in food-Producing animals, fda/www.fda.gov/animalveterinary/newsevents/cvmUpdates (posted oct 28, 2011)
Percentage (%) kg sold/year (FDA)
All animals
Includes antibiotics, antimicrobials, ionophores
Prevention, control, growth promotion,therapeutic claims
••••
Tossing around the ‘S word’ sSS
S s
“Rural producers with limited access to
veterinarians would need assistance to
cope, while small producers may be
squeezed out of the market,” he writes.
“If prices increase enough, consumers
could favor cheaper imported foods
for which we have limited regulatory
oversight. This would also result in
job losses for the US.”
Preventing disease
Still, Call believes that even for medically
important antibiotics, the public’s
preoccupation with “growth promotion”
is overshadowing an opportunity to curb
a greater and more established threat to
both animal and human health.
“Using antibiotics to promote growth
is probably not a major threat to public
health,” he writes. “Therapeutic use
of antibiotics in both human and
veterinary medicine is the biggest driver
of medically important antibiotic
resistance, as is the indiscriminate use
of antibiotics in countries that lack any
regulatory oversight.”
According to Call, antibiotics with
performance claims may work by
preventing disease, thereby limiting the
need for higher therapeutic doses. In an
interview with Poultry Health Today, he
pointed to evidence of this possibility in
Denmark, which banned non-therapeutic
antibiotic use in food animals in 2000.
Figure 2 Antimicrobials for food-producing animals
13
“We’re usually too busy putting out fires to worry about sustainability.”
That was how a well-known veterinary pathologist at a leading university answered
Poultry Health Today’s query about sustainability. The specialist then centered himself and
politely added, “I too think the word is overused and will look forward to [your] article.”
The poultry veterinarian’s dry but brutally honest answer brought some laughter to the
newsroom, but it also spoke volumes about the challenges of becoming more sustainable
in the face of day-to-day production demands.
more than a buzzwordSure, sustainability is a sound and noble concept — something everyone needs to think
about and practice — but try telling that to a veterinarian or producer in the middle of an
infectious bronchitis outbreak. Timing, as they say, is everything.
Nevertheless, it’s clear that sustainability isn’t just a trendy buzzword, passing fad or
marketing niche. It’s a reality that’s reshaping the industry — and everyone needs to start
paying attention.
The good news for conventional poultry producers is that many of their practices already
promote sustainability, whether they know it or not. (See accompanying article.)
And although there’s undoubtedly room for improvement — in all segments of
the poultry industry — the “challenge” of sustainability is actually full of opportunity for
conventional producers.
the three es“Trying to define sustainability as one thing is a losing game. It’s better understood as
our generation’s bucket list, except it is a list of things we need to do to ensure the survival
of future generations,” says Øistein Thorsen, principal consultant at Benchmark Sustainability
Science, a group that helps agricultural businesses design and implement customized
sustainability programs.
“For each industry and business, the opportunities that sustainability provides will be
completely different. They vary according to how their business affects, and in turn is affected
by, what we call the ‘three Es’ — ethics, environment and economics.
“For poultry producers, for example, the health and welfare of their birds is the backbone
of a financially healthy business. Making key improvements in poultry health and welfare
management can, therefore, go a long way toward making an operation more sustainable in
terms of improved animal and human welfare, improved economic efficiency and reduced
environmental impact.”
Between 1999 and 2012, however,
therapeutic antibiotic consumption by
food animals rose by 86%, according to
a Danish government report.6
“This increase in demand for therapeutic
antibiotics substantially exceeds the
growth of food-animal production over
the same time period,” Call observes.
“Thus, we must ask: Did the dispropor-
tionate demand for therapeutic uses result
from the loss of disease prevention af-
forded by low-dose growth promotion?”
In conclusion, Call suggests greater
investment into alternative
disease-control strategies that could
limit the need for antibiotics in both
human and animal medicine. For the
time being, though, he believes that
properly using antibiotics to enhance
performance likely reduces demand for
therapeutic doses. For this reason, he says,
they generally do more good than harm
— by protecting human and animal
health, and also by assuring a safe,
efficient and affordable food supply.
Conventional vs. alternative
To recap, proponents of conventional
systems argue that antibiotics are
important to sustainable poultry
production primarily because they
prevent and control disease. This
results in better health and growth,
and consequently, better animal and
human welfare, greater economic and
continued on page 14
Too busy for sustainability?
Think again
s U s t a i n a B i L i t Y
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I N N O V A T I O N S A N D P R A C T I C A L A D V I C E F O R S U C C E S S F U L F L O C K C A R E POULTRY H E A L T HT O D A Y
14
Tossing around the ‘S word’ sSS
S s
environmental efficiency, and a safe,
abundant and affordable food supply.
In response to these claims, critics
argue that “crowded” and “unsanitary”
confinement systems are what invite
disease and make routine antibiotic use
necessary in the first place. With lower
flock densities, greater outdoor access
and better husbandry, they claim, the
need for antibiotics could be significantly
reduced or eliminated altogether.
Billy M. Hargis, DVM, PhD, a poultry
science professor at University of
Arkansas, does not doubt the possibility
of raising healthy poultry without
antibiotics; he even believes such systems
will become more common over time.
The great outdoors
As the university’s Tyson Endowed
Chair for Sustainable Poultry Health,
Hargis focuses on developing new
health-management strategies, including
sustainable alternatives to feed antibiotics.
Some of these alternatives are proving
highly effective — notably vaccines and
some probiotics, he says. But of all the
promising alternative solutions that have
caught his attention, simply subtracting
antibiotics and giving birds more access
to the great outdoors currently isn’t
one of them.
“emergy” — a complex method of
measuring all the direct and indirect
energy required to make a product or
sustain a system.
“Emergy is one way of looking at
sustainability, albeit a rather abstract one,
based on principles of thermodynamics,”
Hargis says. “I could argue with the
calculations. But when I look at these
data from a poultry health standpoint,
I see a different picture — and you don’t
need to be a physicist to understand it.
To make his point, Hargis refers to a
2006 study comparing conventional and
organic poultry production, which by
legal definition are free-range birds raised
without antibiotics. (See sidebar on page
10 for more definitions.) Although the
study was conducted in Italy, it is
relevant to larger markets and widely
cited throughout the US (Table 1).7
Worth noting is that the study concludes
that organic systems are more sustainable
based on calculations of what’s called
Table 1 Main characteristics of two farming systems
cOnventiOnal Organic
Buildings and space allowance
Birds per unit (n)
Surface area covered (m2)
Density (birds/m2 covered surface)
Pasture (m2/birds)
15,600
988
15.1
—
1,000
96
10.4
9.9
2,730
49
54.5
5.8
1.9
4.5
2,210
81
26.3
4.2
3.4
9.9
Productive perfomancea
Final weight (g)
Age at slaughtering (days)
Daily weight gain (g/days)
Units produced/year (n)
Feed index
Mortality rate (%)
a mean performance considering a female/male ratio = 1
SS
S 15
2
P O U L T R Y H E A L T H T O D A Y . C O M
“First of all,” he continues, “notice that
the organic systems had more than twice
the mortalities of the conventional
systems (9.9% vs. 4.5%). From this, we
can infer that sickness and morbidities
were also double,” he says.
The study’s authors directly attributed
the higher mortalities to the fact that no
antibiotics were used. But according to
Hargis, the birds’ free-range environment
also could have been a factor, as it is
more difficult to control pathogens —
particularly parasitic diseases — in
outdoor settings.
This conundrum presents a major issue
for both animal and human welfare, he
says. Even if organic production were to
improve mortality rates, its relative
inefficiency would still pose significant
hurdles to sustainability and meeting the
world’s increasing demand for poultry.
“In the organic, free-range system, it takes
nearly twice as long, twice as much grain
and significantly more land to raise birds
to an even lower bodyweight,” Hargis
says. “This means that we would need
to have twice as many poultry farms to
make the same amount of chicken in the
US — and that would mean less land
for row crops.
“Factor in the extra labor, energy and
water needed and waste generated over
the longer growing cycle, and we’re
talking about a very large environmental
footprint — one that, on a large scale,
would be incompatible with the needs
of a growing and hungry population.”
Wake-up call
From ethical, economic and environmen-
tal standpoints, then, it appears that
alternative production systems aren’t
necessarily as sustainable as many
consumers believe they are. At a time
when the industry is being called on to
produce more with less, these alternative
systems typically produce less with more
— with few clear health or welfare
benefits for either animals or humans.
The flip side of this is that conventional
poultry production is actually more
sustainable than many consumers think.
For this reason, FACTA’s Shepard says the
industry should see the public’s growing
interest in sustainable food production
not just as a challenge but also as an
opportunity — to showcase what it is
already doing to promote sustainability,
as well as to explore ways of doing this
even better in the future.
“The poultry industry is generally
doing a fantastic job with welfare and
sustainability and should be proud of
the high standards it has achieved,” he
says. “Conventional producers need to
help the public understand how their
health and husbandry practices promote
these standards, while assuring the safety,
security and efficiency of their food.”
Room for improvement
Proud as conventional producers should
be, Shepard says, this does not mean
that they should rest in their laurels,
nor should they consider their health
programs “sustainable,” in absolute terms,
just because of their advantages over
alternative systems.
“There are many different definitions
of sustainability, and consumers should
be able to buy poultry according to
their individual values and beliefs —
all systems can be sustainable,” Shepard
says. “However, both conventional and
alternative systems have much progress
to make, and the health of their flocks
will be key to making it.
“Is this a challenge? Absolutely,” he
continues. “But within it lies another
opportunity to make a big difference —
for poultry, producers, people and
the planet.”
s U s t a i n a B i L i t YCOVER S
TORY
notice that the organic systems had more than twice the mortalities of the conventional systems (9.9% vs. 4.5%). B I L LY M . HARG I S , DVM, PHD“ ”
B I L L Y M . H A R G I S , D V M , P H D
I N N O V A T I O N S A N D P R A C T I C A L A D V I C E F O R S U C C E S S F U L F L O C K C A R E
1 Our Common Future: Report of the World Commission on Environment and Development. http://www.un-documents.net/ocf-02.htm
2 World Resources Report: Creating a Sustainable Food Future.http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp/story.asp?NewsID=46647&Cr=Food+Security&Cr1#.UybDh_ZkLX-
3 Poultry production has lower carbon footprint than other livestock systems. Farmers Weekly. http://www.fwi.co.uk/articles/22/11/2007/108514/poultry-production-has-lower-carbon-footprint-than-other-livestock.htm
4 World Agriculture: Towards 2015/2030.http://www.fao.org/docrep/005/y4252e/y4252e05b.htm
5 Limiting Antibiotic Use for LivestockCould Raise Prices.http://seattletimes.com/html/opinion/2022634923_dougcallopedantibioticsmeatxxxml.html
6 Danish experience offers lessons for US antibiotic use. http://www.beefissuesquarterly.com/danishexperienceofferslessonsforu.s.antibioticuse.aspx
7 Castellini C, et al. Sustainability of poultryproduction using the emergy approach:Comparison of conventional and organicrearing systems. Agriculture, Ecosystems and Environment. 2006;114. http://orgprints.org/9317/1/emergy_pollo.pdf
Tossing around the ‘S word’ sSS
S s Putting sustainability into action today
So how can commercial poultry producers
make their poultry-health programs more sustainable —
ethically, environmentally and economically?
Poultry Health Today asked specialists
to comment on five key aspects
of production:
16
17
s U s t a i n a B i L i t Y
COVER S
TORY
1. GENETICS
Genetics affect sustainability because they influence not only the
efficiency of a bird’s growth but also its overall health and welfare.
Today, most conventional poultry is bred to grow bigger and faster than
ever, but some claim that such rapid and robust growth compromises
mobility and immunity. However, John Halley, PhD, global head of
nutrition services at Aviagen, says today’s producers don’t have to choose
between growth and health — in fact, he says, modern breeding
programs improve health, environmental impact, welfare and production
characteristics. Producers just have to know how to care for these
high-performance birds.
2. NUTRITION
Like genetics, nutrition is a precise science
that significantly impacts poultry health
and growth. Given the relatively short life
cycle of broilers, it is critical that
birds get exactly the nutrition they
need at exactly the right time —
an increasingly elusive goal, given the
increasing fluctuations in grain quality.
For example, producers now have to regularly tweak rations to
accommodate inconsistencies of a major feed ingredient — one that
could easily serve as agriculture’s dubious poster child for sustainability:
dried distillers’ grains with solubles (DDGS) from ethanol production.
While DDGS are often plentiful and typically make up 10% or more of
a bird’s diet, their levels of protein, amino acids, available energy,
phosphorus and sodium can vary widely from load to load. For this and
other reasons, producers need to make sure that the ingredients in the
feed actually match the ones on the label.
continued
“Modern breeders and broilers have more capacities than they used to, so
they need management and nutrition adapted to reach their potential.
The older lines were more forgiving if you didn’t get everything exactly
right, whereas modern lines are much higher performing but also higher
maintenance,” Halley says.
To enable modern, high-performance birds to reach their genetic
potential, Halley advises producers not only to carefully follow the
breeder’s instructions but also to regularly assure quality and compliance
at every step along the way. “Ultimately, poultry health is an integrated
system, and all parts need to be working for the bird to be healthy.”
P O U L T R Y H E A L T H T O D A Y . C O M
John Halley, PhD
18
I N N O V A T I O N S A N D P R A C T I C A L A D V I C E F O R S U C C E S S F U L F L O C K C A R E POULTRY H E A L T HT O D A Y
Putting sustainability into action today
2. NUTRITION continued
“Because of the huge volumes of feed we go through, it’s easy to lose
sight of what we’re doing,” Aviagen’s Halley says. “Producers need to pay
close attention to incoming ingredients to make sure they’re making the
feed they think they’re making. They should also ensure that feed is stored
and administered properly.”
In addition, he says, the industry should continue exploring alternative
feed sources to help offset grain’s high prices and controversial carbon
footprint. For the time being when other sources can only replace a small
percentage of feed, though, producers should focus on improving feed
conversion and limiting waste.
3. HUSBANDRY
“As we always say, good husbandry is good for the animal,” says
Steven Clark, DVM, senior technical services veterinarian at Zoetis Inc.
“And what’s good for the animal is good for people, the environment
and the producer’s bottom line.”
According to Clark, who each year visits dozens of broiler and turkey
operations throughout the country, the industry has made great strides
with husbandry over the last few decades by embracing technological
advances, such as nipple drinkers, power ventilation and in ovo injection
systems for vaccines.
“The switch from bell-style drinkers to nipple drinker lines has improved
litter conditions, which in turn has improved air quality, and consequently
bird performance and health,” he says. “Power ventilation ensures birds
get plenty of fresh air, while pushing ammonia and other contaminants
out. And automated injection systems allow every egg to be vaccinated
against Marek’s disease or even coccidiosis.”
Clark commends producers for investing in these new technologies and
encourages them to continue doing so. However, he says, no technology
can replace good management on the road to sustainability.
“With all this technology, it’s easy to fall into a routine, but it’s important
to be watchful over the birds and be prepared to make adjustments as
necessary,” he says.
To do this effectively, Clark urges producers to ensure proper
documentation and training for all staff, through both internal programs
and external audits.
“Just as producers have embraced changes in birds and equipment,
they also need to be open to changes in management,” he says. “They
should, therefore, take full advantage of the skills and expertise of their
suppliers — we love to teach, educate and help our customers identify
new opportunities.”
P O U L T R Y H E A L T H T O D A Y . C O M
“ F R O M T H E C E O T O M I D D L E M A N A G E M E N T T O T H E
P L A N T A N D B A R N W O R k E R S , E V E R Y P E R S O N M U S T B E
F A M I L I A R W I T H , A N D C O N V E R S A N T I N , A N I M A L
W E L F A R E . . . A N I M A L W E L F A R E , L I k E S U S T A I N A B I L I T Y,
D O E S N ’ T H A P P E N B Y A C C I D E N T — I T T A k E S
C O N S T A N T A N D C O N C E R T E D E F F O R T B Y E V E R Y
M E M B E R O F T H E O R G A N I Z A T I O N .”
Stephen Shepard, FACTA
4. DISEASE MANAGEMENT
Disease management is perhaps the one area of poultry production
where producers have had lots of practice being sustainable,
particularly in the management of antimicrobials (antibiotics and
synthetic therapeutics).
Like those used in human medicine, many therapeutics for poultry may
lose effectiveness if they are used too long or not at the correct dose
rate. Between that and a drought of new compounds, producers quickly
learned to preserve and make judicious use of the tools they had.
(See related articles, pages 23 and 25.)
For example, Clark says, the long-standing practice of rotating
anticoccidials helped the industry maintain reasonably good control
of coccidiosis for many decades while keeping its aging arsenal of
products effective.
“Now, sustainability-minded producers are taking that a step further
and planning their coccidiosis-management programs up to 2 years
in advance,” he says. “They are also using coccidiosis vaccines to rest
medications. To me, that’s more than being sustainable. It’s also
being smart.”
5. ANIMAL WELFARE
Strong animal-welfare programs not only protect animals and appeal
to consumers but they are also associated with better-quality products
and increased productivity, says Stephen Shepard, a poultry specialist
at FACTA.
To reap all the benefits of high animal-welfare standards, Shepard
recommends implementing strong programs that emphasize education.
“The problem is that some retailers don’t understand the daily challenges
faced by producers, or what it takes to produce your products,” Shepard
says. “Education is extremely important and producers are the experts.”
Furthermore, Shepard says, it’s especially important to regularly train
and educate employees who handle flocks every day.
In addition to education, Shepard says effective animal-welfare
programs should include clearly defined goals and metrics;
comprehensive documentation and standard operating procedures;
independent, third-party audits; and regular science-based assessments
of production practices.
But above all, Shepard says, successful animal-welfare programs
take commitment.
“From the CEO to middle management to the plant and barn workers,
every person must be familiar with, and conversant in, animal welfare,”
he stresses. “Animal welfare, like sustainability, doesn’t happen by
accident — it takes constant and concerted effort by every member of
the organization.”
s U s t a i n a B i L i t Y
COVER S
TORY
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Phil Stayer, DVMSanderson Farms
‘sUstainaBiLitY is ReaLLY nothinG new FoR PoULtRY’
Phil Stayer, DVM, is a no-nonsense guy with a low
threshold for trendy buzzwords and catch phrases.
So when the head veterinarian at Sanderson Farms
hears people bat around terms like sustainability,
carbon footprint, cradle to grave, renewable resources
or even animal welfare, he looks at them as if they
just discovered fire.
It’s not that he considers these concepts unimportant.
Stayer just thinks they’ve been part of the US poultry
industry all along, even if profitability was the
primary driver.
T H E R E A LW O R L D
“What makes a poultry company the most money also
happens to be doing what’s best for the bird, for the land
and, yes, for sustainability.”
2
21
“To me, sustainability is really nothing
new. What makes a poultry company
the most money also happens to be
doing what’s best for the bird, for the
land and, yes, for sustainability,” he says.
“And certainly, there’s always room for
improvement.
“Sustainability involves getting the best
that we can for our bird health — doing
whatever it takes to keep the birds
healthy with whatever tools we have
available. And then, hopefully, finding
ways to do the most with the least to
maximize our profitability.”
r e d U c i n g c a r b o n f o o T P r i n T
Maintaining good intestinal health
is particularly important for
sustainability, he says, because the
condition of the gut ultimately
determines a flock’s growth rate
and feed conversion.
“You want a low carbon footprint?”
Stayer asks, rhetorically. “Maximize
your feed efficiency; avoid waste;
find ways to be more efficient.
“Most of a poultry operation’s cost is
feed,” he adds. “If we can reduce that
volume and expense with better feed
conversion — and that’s an area where
we can always improve — that’s less
input, fewer trucks you’ve got to put
on the road to bring corn in, fewer
trains, less land in production. So
having good feed conversion is going
to reduce a lot of energy consumed. To
me, that’s huge — feed is the giant that
casts the longest shadow.”
7 - d a y m o r T a l i T y
He should know. Sanderson Farms
places more than 9 million birds a
week at its farms in Mississippi, where
the company is headquartered, and in
Texas, Georgia and North Carolina. Half
of the birds are grown to 9.0 lb in 60 to
63 days; the rest are raised to 6.75 lb in
about 50 days.
Stayer and his two production vets —
Drs. David French and Erin Riley —
spend most of their time in the field,
reviewing the health status of all farms.
They also get some help from the
company’s C-suite.
“Our upper management — all the
way up to our CEO — looks at our
7-day mortality,” he says. “They expect
our first-week mortality to be less than
0.75% by the house — not by average,
but by the house. And if any house
is over that target, there has to be
an explanation.
“I think that’s been a big secret to our
success — getting the birds off to a
good early start and positioning them
for a strong finish,” Stayer continues.
“That begins in the hatchery — how
you incubate them, how you pull the
hatch, how you make the eggs set, the
chemical sanitation. We spend a lot of
energy and effort to keep it as clean
as we can so that we can put out a
big chick without a whole lot of
bacterial growth.”
b i g b i r d S , b i g c h a l l e n g e S
But keeping the broilers healthy and
efficient for up to 63 days presents
challenges as well, particularly in
the summer.
continued
Phil Stayer, DVMSanderson Farms
P O U L T R Y H E A L T H T O D A Y . C O M
And coccidiosis is not getting any
easier to control, he says. Despite
the availability of more than a dozen
in-feed antimicrobials in the US and
a half dozen vaccines, managing
E. maxima and other coccidial
organisms — E. acervulina, E. tenella,
to name a few — has become yet
another exercise in sustainability.
Like similar medications used in
human and companion-animal
medicine, antimicrobials for poultry
and livestock can lose effectiveness
when used improperly or for
extended periods. Furthermore,
some medications perform better
at different times of year or at
different growth stages.
f e W e r W e a P o n S
So on paper, it may look like the
poultry industry has a deep war chest
of anticoccidials. But when producers
factor in other variables — the birds’
heat intolerance when receiving
some synthetic compounds, optimum
usage times or the need to rest an
anticoccidial every first or second cycle
— the number of effective weapons
I N N O V A T I O N S A N D P R A C T I C A L A D V I C E F O R S U C C E S S F U L F L O C K C A R E POULTRY H E A L T HT O D A Y
22
“I think vaccination still has great potential,
especially if the industry can find a way to
improve vaccine uptake.”
‘sUstainaBiLitY is ReaLLY nothinG new FoR PoULtRY’
As with most farms in the Deep South,
Sanderson’s biggest hurdle is hot
weather, compounded by the buildup
of body heat in the houses, especially
on farms with large birds. Stayer says
the company generally takes fewer big
birds to market during the summer —
typically 0.5% less than its 49-day-old
birds — but Sanderson makes up for
it during the winter months, which
Stayer calls the “best season.”
Still, maintaining good gut health
and feed conversion is a year-round
concern and paramount to the
operation’s success and sustainability.
“Intestinal health is where I focus most
of my time, whether we’re designing
programs to control the ubiquitous
coccidiosis — that’s our biggest
nemesis — and the bacterial
overgrowth that occurs with that,”
he says.
Of the major Eimeria organisms that
can cause coccidiosis, Stayer describes
Eimeria maxima as his “biggest feed
thief” — one that also predisposes
birds to Clostridium perfringens
infection and necrotic enteritis.
quickly dwindles. Stayer says the loss
of roxarsone — a popular anticoccidial
used for many years with other
antimicrobials — has also made
coccidiosis management and flock
efficiency more challenging.
At one point, Stayer saw vaccinating
for coccidiosis as a good way to rest
in-feed antimicrobials and prolong
their effectiveness. “We started our
vaccine journey a few years ago but
really were not successful until we
put roxarsone with it,” he explains.
“After we stopped using that product,
we lost so much performance in
vaccinated birds. The feed conversion
just wasn’t there.”
He also tried supplementing vaccination
with feeding an ionophore after the
vaccinal oocysts were done cycling —
a practice that has been shown in
research to benefit some flocks —
but he’s sticking with medicated feed
additives for now. “I think vaccination
still has great potential, especially if
the industry can find a way to improve
vaccine uptake, but we just weren’t
seeing consistent performance on
our farms,” Stayer adds.
continued
2
23P O U L T R Y H E A L T H T O D A Y . C O M
Poultry producers need to “rotate smarter” and learn the differences
between anticoccidials if they want to maintain effective and sustainable
coccidiosis-management programs, says well-known coccidiosis specialist
Greg Mathis, PhD, Southern Poultry Research, Athens, Ga.
“When was the last time the world’s poultry industry got a new anticoccidial —
15 or 20 years ago?” he asks. “We still have good tools available, but we need
to do whatever we can to preserve their effectiveness and optimize their
performance. Planning ahead and thinking about your program 12, 18 and
even 24 months from now is a huge step in the right direction.”
He says rotating ionophores within the same family is one of the most common
mistakes he sees with coccidiosis-management programs.
“I see producers rotating from, say, monensin or salinomycin to narasin, but
all they're doing is rotating from one monovalent ionophore to another,”
he says. “They’d be better off rotating to a divalent ionophore, a chemical or
even a vaccine.”
Planning ahead and thinking about your program 12, 18 and even 24 months from now is a huge step in the right direction.Greg Mathis, PhD / Southern Poultry Research
“”
‘rotate Smarter,’
SaYS coccidioSiS
SPecialiSt
T H E R E A LW O R L D
I N N O V A T I O N S A N D P R A C T I C A L A D V I C E F O R S U C C E S S F U L F L O C K C A R E POULTRY H E A L T HT O D A Y
“We’re trying to rotate through all the anticoccidial products
in a thoughtful way, with a close eye on bird response, and
then making changes where needed.”
‘sUstainaBiLitY is ReaLLY nothinG new FoR PoULtRY’
m o r e J U d i c i o U S U S e
The focus on medicated feed additives
makes it even more critical to use them
judiciously and sustainably. Going into
fall, when coccidiosis pressure tends
to increase with reduced ventilation
and increased moisture, Stayer puts
nicarbazin in the starter feed and then
changes to an ionophore — lasalocid,
monensin, narasin or salinomycyn —
in the later feeds.
When the colder weather hits in
December, he’ll feed nicarbazin up
to 28 days of age or “as far out as we
can take it without hurting the bird,”
he explains, before switching to an
ionophore in the finisher feed.
In February and March, he switches
to an all-chemical program — most
recently, decoquinate — and feeds it
for one cycle.
Why all chemicals in the winter
months? It has been Stayer’s
experience that birds on synthetic
anticoccidials are less likely to break
with gangrenous dermatitis than
birds medicated with ionophores.
“I don’t believe ionophores or leakage
from ionophores cause dermatitis, as
some people do, but I do think — and
this is just my theory — ionophores
might set up the gut flora to allow
gangrenous dermatitis,” he says.
“Whatever the reason, we don’t have
a problem with dermatitis when
we’re using chemicals,” he says. “The
weakness in chemicals is that you
can get about one cycle out of them,
maybe two with some products, and
then they start breaking. You really
need to watch it.”
S e P a r a T i n g T h e ‘ k i S S i n g c o U S i n S ’
When the warmer weather arrives in
April, Stayer primarily depends on
ionophores, but he still needs to be
on guard for resistance buildup and
performance losses. He thinks it’s
also important to try to separate
what he calls the “kissing cousins”
of coccidiosis management.
Monensin, narasin and salinomycyn,
he explains, are all monovalent
ionophores with a similar chemical
structure, so rotating from one to
the other doesn’t always achieve
the anticipated boost seen with
other rotations.
Using lasalocid, a divalent ionophore
with a different molecular makeup,
or a chemical in between monovalents,
is a good, sustainable strategy for pre-
serving the efficacy of all compounds.
“Our nutritionist had a lot of experience
using lasalocid in turkeys and it worked
well, as long as he limited the sodium
and potassium,” he says. “By limiting
the electrolytes, you don’t have as
much water uptake, which in turn
means less water excreted.
“We’re trying to rotate through all the
anticoccidial products in a thoughtful
way, with a close eye on bird response,
and then making changes where
needed. We plan our program at least
12 months in advance, trying to stick to
three or four products with the
eye on using different ones in the
second year.”
Because in the end, Stayer adds, his
goal is to keep doing what he’s worked
at all along — being more sustainable.
24
P O U L T R Y H E A L T H T O D A Y . C O M 25
Targeting the global poultry industry’s more than $3 billion1 in
annual losses to coccidiosis, Zoetis Inc. recently introduced Rotecc™
Coccidiosis Management, a new, science-based
initiative to help poultry producers develop more
strategic, cost-effective and sustainable programs
for battling the costly parasitic disease.
“Overall, the poultry industry has done a
commendable job managing coccidiosis. But
clearly, when you look at billions of dollars in
losses associated with the disease, there is still lots
of room for improvement,” says Mark LaVorgna,
PhD, a nutritionist and global technical services
director for the company.
IPAD APP
Rotecc begins with a consultation by a Zoetis
representative, who reviews a poultry operation’s
past and current programs, necropsy data and
results from anticoccidial sensitivity testing, as
well as seasonal preferences for product usage,
production goals and management practices. Other variables
such as feed costs and meat prices also are considered.
To facilitate the review, Zoetis has developed several digital tools to
help producers and veterinarians tailor a long-term program to suit
their individual needs. These include the Rotecc™ Program Advisor,
an iPad app that initially will be available in the US, and
a Rotecc™ Calculator, which will run on the iPad and Windows
operating systems.
Don Waldrip, DVM, senior technical
services veterinarian for the company,
thinks poultry producers will benefit from
thinking longer term — perhaps even
24 months ahead — when developing their
coccidiosis-management programs.
GIVE IT A REST
“The more you plan ahead, the more
rotation options you’ll have available for
effective coccidiosis management,” says
Waldrip. “That’s important because it takes
time to initiate effective rotation programs
that will provide ample rest periods for
each class of in-feed product.”
While rotating anticoccidials is standard
practice at commercial poultry farms, Waldrip says, “traditional
thinking, old habits, cost considerations and the pressures to
achieve optimal short-term performance can sometimes stand in
the way of developing a longer term, sustainable strategy. Rotecc
aims to put producers on the right track and, more importantly,
keep them there.”
1 Lille HS. Functional genomics approaches to study host pathogen interactions to mucosal pathogens. Proceedings, Korean Society of Poultry Science Meeting,Suwon, Korea, 2006.
Zoetis launches new coccidiosis initiative
2
T H E R E A LW O R L D
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I N N O V A T I O N S A N D P R A C T I C A L A D V I C E F O R S U C C E S S F U L F L O C K C A R E
Pe rc e p t i o n
R e a l i t y
Meat from poultry raised without antibiotics is more wholesome and nutritious than other poultry.
Most commercial poultry producers use antibiotics to treat, control the spread of and prevent common diseases. Some consumers prefermeat from poultry raised without antibiotics for personal or ethical reasons, so many poultry operations now produce meat specifically for this market.
Other than price — brands of meat from birds “raised without antibiotics”tend to cost more — there are no discernable differences in the meatfrom medicated or non-medicated birds.
“There is absolutely no nutritional difference in meat from poultry raisedwithout antibiotics compared to poultry that receive antibiotics,” saysMike Lacy, PhD, professor and head of poultry science at the University of Georgia.
Michele Simon, a public health lawyer who writes the blog eatdrinkpolitics.com, agrees. Reacting to Chick-fil-A’s announcement in February that within 5 years it would no longer sell meat from poultryraised with antibiotics, Simon told The New York Times, “All of this makesfor great PR, but it doesn’t mean the products are necessarily any more nutritious.”
Today all poultry meat that enters the US food supply is, by definition, antibiotic-free or, more specifically, free of antibiotic residues by the time it reaches consumers — regardless of how the birds were raised.
Several safeguards in the food chain make this possible:
First, the USDA Food Safety & Inspection Service (FSIS) routinely inspects all meat for residues of antibiotics, pesticides or environmentalcontaminants. Any meat found to contain violative residues of any substance is automatically rejected.
The poultry industry has also shown that it knows how to use antibioticsresponsibly and judiciously. According to statistics compiled by the National Residue Program administered by FSIS since 2009, no violative antibiotic residues have been found in poultry meat.1 (For a copy of this report, visit fsis.usda.gov and select Topics > Data Collection and Reports.)
When antibiotics are needed in poultry production, the medications are used under veterinary supervision in compliance with regulations established by the US Food and Drug Administration, which determinesacceptable uses, dose rates and administration periods.
FDA has also established strict drug-withdrawal periods, which ensurethat the animal’s system has been sufficiently cleared of antibiotics wellbefore the meat enters the food supply. Furthermore, the agency regularlyaudits feed-mill records to make sure antibiotics are used in compliancewith FDA guidelines.
According to the American Meat Institute, no meat — including meat from birds raised without antibiotics — is ever guaranteed to be free from antibiotic-resistant bacteria, which occur naturally in humans, animals, insects and even plants. However, any foodborne bacteria found on rawpoultry and other meats are destroyed when the meat is cooked at therecommended temperature.2
1 hurd s. it’s all antibiotic-free, baby. 2013 aug. 14. http://hurdhealth.com/2013/08/14/its-all-antibiotic-free-baby/ and Usda data Collection and Reports. http://www.fsis.usda.gov/wps/portal/fsis/topics/data-collection-and-reports/chemistry/residue-chemistry2 aMi Fact sheet, antibiotic Use in Livestock Production: ensuring Meat safety.www.meatami.com/ht/a/Getdocumentaction/i/56994
Confidently presenting facts — not defensive rhetoric — can go
a long way toward shaping consumer opinions about commercial
poultry production and the importance of maintaining flock health,
welfare and efficiency. For this special feature, Poultry Health Today
checked into whether poultry raised without antibiotics was more
wholesome than meat from medicated birds.
t e C h n i C a L LY, a l l P o U lT r y i n T h e U S
i s ‘a n t i B i ot i C - F R e e ’
R E A L I T Y C H E C K
REALITY
27
2
New FDA guidelines that discourage
using medically important antibiotics
for promoting growth in food animals
appear to have been well-received by both
producers and most consumer activists.
Both groups agree that antibiotics should
still be used judiciously to treat and
control the spread of disease. However,
some antibiotic hardliners object to the
provision in FDA Guidance Document
213 allowing the continued use of any
antibiotics for disease prevention — an
option they see as a loophole to continue
using them for growth promotion.
As one group, Food and Water Watch,
posted in a recent blog, “Whether for
growth promotion or disease prevention,
the result is the same: This practice
is creating more bacteria resistant to
antibiotics that we need to protect
human health.”1
The authors of the new FDA guidelines,
which allow certain non-medically
important antibiotics to retain
performance claims, apparently don’t
share that view. Nevertheless, such
statements underscore the continued need
for veterinarians to explain and
defend the judicious use of antibiotics
for preventing certain diseases in
food animals.
chickens ‘at risk’
William Flynn, DVM, MS, deputy
director for science policy, Center for
Veterinary Medicine, FDA, insists the
FDA does not condone the willy-nilly
use of antibiotics for preventing disease.
“Disease prevention is not the use of
drugs to prevent whatever disease might
come along. That’s not at all what we’re
talking about here. We wouldn’t consider
that judicious use,” Flynn explains.
“Prevention is when a veterinarian
believes that a flock of chickens, for
example, is at risk of being exposed and
having an outbreak of a disease. Based
on that risk, [the veterinarian makes] the
decision that preventive administration
‘’
P r e v e n t i o n i S w h e n a v e t e r i n a r i a n B e l i e v e S t h a t a f l o c k o f c h i c k e n S ,
f o r e x a m P l e , i S a t r i S k o f B e i n g e x P o S e d a n d h a v i n g a n o U t B r e a k
o f a d i S e a S e . WILL I AM F LYNN , DVM, MS , C ENTER FOR V E T ER INARY MED I C INE , FDA
R U L E S & R E G S
Prevention claims
essential for
ensuring flock
health, welfare
P O U L T R Y H E A L T H T O D A Y . C O M
I N N O V A T I O N S A N D P R A C T I C A L A D V I C E F O R S U C C E S S F U L F L O C K C A R E POULTRY H E A L T HT O D A Y
It is widely known that coccidia —
the parasites that cause coccidiosis —
are persistent and that eradicating them
from the poultry-house environment
is difficult, if not impossible. When
coccidia go through their life cycle,
Ritter explains, they cause a bacterial
imbalance in the gut that results in excess
mucus production. The mucus provides
food for C. perfringens, which is a widely
prevalent bacterium found in soil, dust,
feces, feed and litter.
If there is no intervention and
clostridium is allowed to proliferate,
tissues in the gut start to die, resulting
in the condition known as necrotic
enteritis. Chickens suffer and an intense
regimen of therapeutic antibiotics is
required. Mortality can be as high
as 50%.2
To prevent this chain of events, poultry
veterinarians generally recommend
using one of three FDA-approved
antibiotics — bacitracin, bambermycins
or virginiamycin — to prevent necrotic
enteritis from infecting the flock,
Ritter explains.
“We’re going to use the least amount of
antibiotics at targeted times to prevent
and control — and hopefully not treat —
disease. We’re trying to prevent illness
and death from clostridial enteritis before
they occur. This is where prevention
and control of disease is of paramount
importance to a successful poultry-health
and welfare program. Waiting for birds to
get sick is not what veterinarians want to
do,” he says.
Ritter notes that he’s worked extensively
with alternatives to antibiotics and that
the results have been less than stellar for
managing necrotic enteritis.
“The alternatives look good in studies but
just don’t act the same way in the field.
There are no standards for them and
many lack quality control. When we use
something that is not FDA regulated, it’s
the wild, wild West,” he says.
Healthy meat
There’s another important reason for
using antibiotics to prevent disease
outbreaks in poultry: Healthy chickens
provide healthy meat, Ritter says.
In his experience, flocks raised without
antibiotics have a higher rate of clostridial
enteritis infections and necrotic enteritis,
higher mortality and a higher rate of
condemnation at processing than
flocks that received antibiotics.
of an antibiotic is warranted to prevent
the outbreak. There’s knowledge and
experience that goes into that decision,”
Flynn says.
Furthermore, he points out that the
new FDA guidelines will further increase
the involvement of veterinarians when
antibiotics are used in food animals.
animal suffering and death
G. Donald Ritter, DVM, director
of health services for Mountaire Farms,
a major poultry producer based in
Millsboro, Del., points out that using
some antibiotics, including ionophores,
to prevent disease is crucial to protect
animals from needless suffering
and death.
In poultry, Ritter says, the most salient
example of how preventive antibiotics
are used involves clostridial enteritis
and coccidiosis, two common diseases
of the intestines that often appear
together. Enteritis is caused by the
bacterium Clostridium perfringens and
usually occurs while chickens are
battling coccidiosis.
R U L E S & R E G S
Prevention claims
essential for
ensuring flock
health, welfare
28
The late Scott Hurd, DVM, PhD, the
well-known veterinarian from Iowa State
University who became an industry
proponent of judicious antibiotic use
and food safety, maintained that
antibiotic-free-animals could potentially
pose a greater risk to human health.
“Pathogens are a common, unavoidable
part of any environment. Disease
prevention is important for keeping
animals healthy in such an environment.
In the absence of effective prevention,
animals face greater health challenges that
may lead to marginally healthy animals
or subclinical illness,” Hurd posted in his
hurdhealth.com blog last year.
“My research has shown that subclinical
illness is not outwardly obvious to the
producer or inspector but puts animals
at risk for carrying increased levels of
bacteria responsible for foodborne illness,
such as Campylobacter and Salmonella,”
Hurd wrote.
consumer education
Ritter emphasizes the need to educate
consumers about when antibiotics for
food animals are needed and how healthy
meat is produced.
“Issues involving the use of antibiotics
in food animals is in the newspapers,
on the Internet and it’s a major concern
for some of our customers. Many
poultry companies, especially those
that are branded, are already involving
veterinarians by having them talk to
customers. It’s critical that the antibiotic
discussion is complete and transparent,”
he says.
Customers need to understand that the
antibiotics used for gut health are not in
the meat they buy and that flocks need to
be kept healthy to produce healthy meat,
he adds. (See Reality Check, page 26.)
“If you explain this to customers, they
really understand. [They] would rather
buy meat from healthy chickens instead
of from flocks that didn’t receive
antibiotics and are not as healthy. That’s
generally the outcome if the discussion
is thorough,” Ritter says.
1 Borron S. How the FDA’s Voluntary GuidanceFails to Curb Antibiotic Misuse in Livestock.2014 Mar 11.
2 Overview of Necrotic Enteritis in Poultry.Merck Veterinary Manual. Accessed April 15,2014.
3 Hurd S. Is antibiotic free really healthier? Hurd Health: Animal Health and Food Safety.2013 Aug 8.
2
‘ ’w a i t i n g f o r B i r d S t o g e t S i c k i S n o t w h a t v e t e r i n a r i a n S w a n t t o d o .G . DONALD R I T T ER , DVM, MOUNTA IRE FARMS
G . D O N A L D R I T T E R , D V M W I L L I A M F L Y N N , D V M , M S
P O U L T R Y H E A L T H T O D A Y . C O M 29
I N N O V A T I O N S A N D P R A C T I C A L A D V I C E F O R S U C C E S S F U L F L O C K C A R E POULTRY H E A L T HT O D A Y
D I S C O V E R I E S
30
give antimicrobial field trials a second look
Broiler producers should avoid making decisions about antimicrobial use based on studies or field trials involving just one flock, cautions Mark LaVorgna, PhD, director of global technical services, poultry, Zoetis Inc.
In a floor-pen study of three consecutivegrow-out cycles conducted by LaVorgnaand colleagues, broilers were fed either the broad-spectrum antibiotic virginiamycin, bacitracin methylene disalicylate, which has a narrower spectrum, or combinations of both.1
During the first grow-out cycle, the virginiamycin-fed broilers had better feedconversion and processing weight, but bythe third grow-out, their mortality was 4%higher compared to bacitracin-fed broilers,LaVorgna and colleagues found in theirstudy, which was published last year in theJournal of Applied Poultry Research.
“The higher mortality was due primarilyfrom bacterial infection, and while it mayhave been incidental, it could be due to the
broad-spectrum suppression of beneficialmicroflora in the gut by virginiamycin,” he says.
Microbial suppression may help channelenergy to bird growth rather than to microbial proliferation; however, over consecutive grow-out cycles, it may alsocreate gut dysbiosis that makes birds vulnerable to opportunistic infection, LaVorgna says.
He notes that more research is needed to determine if broad-spectrum suppression of lactic acid-producing gutflora is responsible both for increasedweight gain and increased vulnerability to bacterial infection and mortality.
“the higher mortality was due primarily from bacterial infection, and while it may
have been incidental, it could be due to the broad-spectrum suppression of beneficial
microflora in the gut by virginiamycin.” MARK L AVORGNA , PHD
timing may affect accuracy ofin ovo vaccination
The coccidiosis vaccine Inovocox® EM1was more precisely deposited to embryoswhen the vaccine was administered at 18.5versus 19 days of incubation, indicates aZoetis-sponsored study from MississippiState University.2
Investigators injected the vaccine, whichcontains live oocysts of Eimeria acervulina,E. maxima and E. tenella, into broiler eggswith an automated multiple-egg injector at 18.5 or 19 days of incubation. The resultswere compared to those of control eggs injected with a diluent on the same days of incubation, Adebayo Sokale, a graduate
student at Mississippi State University, saidat the 2014 International Poultry Scientific Forum.
Sokale and colleagues evaluated severalvalues after vaccination and found that thevaccine was deposited in the amnion in88% of embryos injected on 18.5 dayscompared to 73% of embryos injected at19 days of incubation, Sokale said.
The scientists noted significantly higherbirthweight (P = 0.002) and yolk-sacweight (P = 0.001) in hatchlings that received the vaccine at 18.5 days of incubation. Relative intestinal weight washighest in chicks injected with the diluentat 19 days of incubation. The mean embryonic-stage score was 2.44 in thegroup vaccinated at 18.5 days and 3.24 in the group vaccinated at 19 days of incubation, the researcher said.
Besides more precise deposition of the vaccine at 18.5 days of incubation, the results indicate that developmental differences occur, depending on the day of administration, that may affect the subsequent response of hatchlings to the coccidiosis vaccine, Sokale said.
1 LaVorgna M, et al. Performance of broilers fed a broader spectrum antibiotic (virginiamycin) or a narrower spectrum antibiotic (bacitracin methylene disalicylate) over 3 consecutivegrowout cycles. J appl Poult Res 2013;22(3): 574-582.
2 sokale a, et. al. Physiological responses of broiler hatchlings tocommercial in ovo coccidiosis vaccine administered on days 18.5and 19.0 of incubation. abstracts, international Poultry scientificForum, atlanta, 2014.
All veterinarians take an oath to use their
“scientific knowledge and skills…for the
protection of animal health and welfare…”
I know most veterinarians involved with ABF programs in the US;
they are all highly skilled and deeply committed to the health and
welfare of the birds under their care. On the other hand, we know
ABF production often increases disease pressure and mortality,
which puts our science-driven profession at an ethical crossroads.
The new FDA antimicrobial guidelines are here — and we all
need to fully understand them. Most of the industry understands
that we can still use feed antibiotics for treating, controlling and
preventing disease. However, some may not appreciate that there
are still non-medically important antibiotics that have retained
their performance claims. FDA has deemed these products safe
and effective. In my opinion, we’d do well to make judicious use
of all of the valuable, time-tested tools available to us.
I don’t have all the answers, but this
much I know: There are more
conversations the poultry industry
needs to have with our consumers.
TIMOTHY CUMMINGS, DVM, PhD
Senior Technical Services [email protected]
31
2
POULTRY H E A L T HT O D A Y
P O U L T R Y H E A L T H T O D A Y . C O M
Never say never
As a veterinarian, I’ve been following the
antibiotic-free trend in the US poultry industry
for many years. Not that long ago, the thought
of raising broilers on a large scale without ionophores or other
intestinal health antibiotics would have seemed foolhardy.
But that has changed in recent years, as we’ve learned how best
to grow and manage antibiotic-free (ABF) flocks. This has come
at a cost of lost efficiency for most operations, but these practices
have allowed poultry companies to reduce or eliminate antibiotic
use in a portion or all of their production with varying degrees
of success.
The integrators who implemented ABF production chose to enter
this market — and there are valuable lessons we can learn from
them. But as the industry expands ABF production — a trend born
mostly out of consumer perceptions, not documented public-health
threats — we need to make sure we understand the consequences
of this paradigm shift:
“No” and “never” are strong words to use when talking about
antibiotics in food-animal production. If you don’t want to use
them, fine. But we, as an industry, should not allow using
FDA-approved feed additive medications to somehow be perceived
as producing a product that is less wholesome. That, in essence, is
what happens when ABF is used as a marketing tool.
T H E L A S T W O R D
Poultry Health Today is published by Pr Works and sponsored by the US Poultry business of Zoetis inc. articles, comments and any other materials available through Poultry Health Today and its site do not reflect the opinions or analysis of the sponsor. information available in this publication or on the site does not and should not be relied upon to replace the advice of your own animal-health advisors orthe indications or safety precautions stated on product labels. Send subscription requests, addressupdates and editorial comments to [email protected].
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Editor’s note: For more insights, see the results of Dr. Cummings’ ABF survey in the June 2014 edition of PoultryUSA or at wattagnet.com.