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A highly useful new booklet detailing, "Nutrient Requirement Standards for Pigs," was launched at the British Society of Animal Science (BSAS) Annual Meeting in York.
These new Standards are the first to be produced in UK since the Agricultural Research Council published their requirements for pigs in 1982. These new BSAS Standards relate to the nutrient requirements for efficient production from modern pig genotypes and take into account nutritional welfare and environmental protection.
The Standards are designed to be used by Feed Compounders, Advisers and Producers alike. New knowledge from Science and Practice has been incorporated into the derivation of the requirement Standards.
The BSAS Standards are expected to give leadership in the wider European field.
The review authors - a BSAS Working Party - comprising Prof Colin Whittemore, Mick Hazzledine and Dr William Close stressed that the standards are not just statements of current practice, but the carefully calculated and appropriate amount for pigs at given farm growth rates and productivity.
The Standards include tables of values for energy, amino acids and macro minerals. Although tabulated values are given, also included are the detailed assumptions that have been used to derive the values, allowing amendment for specific circumstances should it be necessary.
The Standards have been calculated for different types - growth rates and leanness - of growing pigs, and for pregnant and lactating sows of differing live weight and productivity. There are special sections dealing with boars, gilts, and weaners, and with environmental emissions of nitrogen and phosphorus.
Micro minerals and vitamins are treated differently to other nutrients and in their case recommended levels to be added to the final feed are identified for these two groups of nutrients.
The Working Party also tackled the areas where few recommendations have been made previously, namely the requirements for newly weaned piglets weighing 6-15kg and breeding boars and gilts.
Prof Whittemore stressed, "although derived in the UK, the standards have been subject to extensive consultation in UK, amongst feed consultants, compounders and scientists, and in other pig producing countries, especially those in Europe". He continued, " they truly represent the best current scientific opinion."
Copies of BSAS Nutrient Requirement Standards for Pigs may be obtained from the BSAS Office, price £10.00, or see the website, www.bsas.org.uk for further information.
ENDS
Dr Janice Harland, BSAS Press Officer (Tel: 01285 810250)
Mike Steele, BSAS Office (Tel: 0131 445 4508)
Editors note
A pre-publication copy of the standards for your perusal, but not reproduction is available from BSAS.