Coccidiosis is still one of the most important health issues faced by broiler producers. It is ubiquitous in modern broiler farming, despite strict hygiene measures. Coccidiosis impacts the health and welfare of birds, but it also leads to significant production losses which increases the environmental impact of the poultry industry.
Coccidiosis control programmes are often compared for their impact on intestinal health and technical performance, but how does this translate into an environmental impact?
To investigate the environmental impact, we used two independent field studies comparing a Monimax® / Sacox® programme with another popular European programme (nicarbazin-narasin/narasin). In both programmes, the combination products were given from day 0-21 followed by the ionophore from day 22 to the end.
First, we looked at the direct impact of the products on the carbon footprint (CFP) of the formulated feed. Table 1 shows the CFP of the individual anticoccidial products. Although there can be significant differences in the life cycle assessment (LCA, column 1), we also need to consider the inclusion rate per ton of feed (column 2) to determine the final impact on the feed level (CFP final feed, column 3). The total CFP of a complete feed can vary from 600 to 1250 kg CO2 eq/ton depending on the feed ingredient usage and sourcing location. The relative impact an anticoccidial programme has on the final CFP of the feed is very limited (0.2 to 0.4%).
To evaluate the real impact, we need to include biological parameters such as performance. For this comparison we based calculations on a standard EU broiler diet and assumed that the anticoccidial programme did not influence feed intake. Table 2 gives an overview of the technical performance of both programmes. As outlined above, the direct contribution of the different anticoccidial programmes was very limited, leading to a similar CFP in the final feed. End weight was higher in birds on the Monimax® / Sacox® programme leading to a 4-point reduction in feed conversion (FCR). This better technical performance resulted in an average reduction of 2.8% in the CFP of broiler production (expressed as kg CO2 eq/kg BW).
Conclusion
With only a 0.2 to 0.4% contribution to the overall CFP of the feed, the direct impact of the anticoccidial programme is limited. Better feed utilisation and higher body weights in the Monimax® / Sacox® programme meant the CFP (expressed as kg CO2 eq/kg BW) was reduced by 2.8% compared to the nicarbazin-narasin/narasin programme.
Good coccidiosis control is crucial for sustainable broiler production and can help reduce the carbon footprint of broiler production.
Further details of the trials can be found here in Technical Bulletin 31 and Technical Bulletin 49.
For more detailed information on diet formulation or other trial conditions, please contact [email protected]
