A Practical Guide to the Feeding of Organic Farm Animals: Pigs, Poultry, Cattle, Sheep and Goats

Robert Blair

• Editore: 5m Books
• Anno: 2017
• ISBN:
  9781912178018
• Argomento: Tecnologia e ingegneria
• Categoria: Agricoltura

Authored by a renowned animal scientist with a peerless reputation in organic livestock nutrition, A Practical Guide to the Feeding of Organic Farm Animals aims to translate the science of feeding organic livestock and distil it into practical guidance for farmers and producers.The latest research is broken down into a practical approach to on-the-farm feeding, providing applied methodology backed up by scientific research. There is also advice on making the transition from conventional to organic farming systems regarding feeding.There are sections covering poultry, pigs, cattle, sheep and goats, reviewing the nutritional requirements of the species, identifying suitable ingredients and feeds, overviewing husbandry techniques and system approaches, providing advice on selecting suitable breeds, and advising on nutrition and its relationship to health with a preventative approach.The final section provides advice on organic nutritional regimes under integrated farming operations making this book an ideal resource for the smallholder farmer as well as traditional and aspiring organic livestock farmers.

Chapter 1
Introduction

Feed represents a major portion of the costs of raising organic stock, especially since organic feedstuffs are generally more expensive and in shorter supply than conventional feed-stuffs. Therefore, the profitability of organic milk, meat and egg production requires that the dietary mixtures are formulated correctly so that the stock grows and produces milk, meat or eggs efficiently. Basic to the selection of feedstuffs for each class of farm stock (poultry, pigs, cattle and sheep) is an understanding of what nutrients are required in their respective diets and the extent to which the animal or bird in question can digest the feed to obtain these nutrients.

Another objective with organic feed is to ensure that the diet does not contain imbalances or excesses of nutrients such as protein and phosphorus, resulting in breakdown products that are excreted in the manure and cause environmental damage.

There is field evidence that some of the organic feed being used on farms does not meet the required quality standards. It is to be hoped that this book will help to prevent that situation.

Organic regulations pose challenges and problems for the feed formulator, in part due to a lack of detail in the standards. For instance, as noted by Wilson (2003), the UK regulations prohibit materials produced with the use of ‘genetically modified organisms or products derived therefrom’. A problem raised by this definition is how far down the production chain the prohibition applies. For instance, vitamin B2 and vitamin B12 are generally produced using a fermentation process and in the case of vitamin B12 the organism used predominantly is a genetically modified (GM) strain. A strict interpretation of the regulations would therefore exclude this vitamin, which would have to be provided by the main ingredients. Unfortunately, this vitamin is absent from grains and plant materials and occurs only in ingredients of animal origin. Another example is that Sweden has approved the growing of GM potatoes for the production of starch for use in the paper industry. This has resulted in a useful by-product, potato protein, being available for use in animal feed since Sweden is one of the countries facing an extreme shortage of organic protein feeds, exacerbated by the ban on pure amino acids. Is potato protein derived from GM potatoes acceptable in organic feed? The answer depends on how the organic regulations are interpreted.

Wilson (2003) also pointed out the omission in the EU regulations (European Commission, 1999) of extracted oil from the list of permitted ingredients, although oilseeds and their by-products are permitted. This omission is difficult to understand. A possible explanation is that the EU regulations assume that extracted oil is used exclusively for the human market. The list of permitted ingredients in New Zealand (NZFSA, 2005), which appears to be based on the EU list, clarifies this issue by permitting plant oils obtained from approved oilseeds by mechanical extraction. The fact that maize as bran is listed twice in the EU list of permitted grains suggests that the omission of extracted oil may simply be a clerical error. These examples highlight the need for detailed specifications in the organic regulations and for an enlightened approach by certifying agencies in their interpretation.

Fishmeal is allowed in organic feed as a good source of amino acids but there is little fishmeal available that does not contain the synthetic preservative ethoxyquin, which is not permitted in organic production. This indicates that farmers have to ask quite detailed and knowledgeable questions when purchasing organic feedstuffs.

Although the main aim of this book is to assist organic producers in formulating diets and feeding programmes for organic livestock and poultry, the regulatory authorities in several countries may find it of value in addressing nutritional issues relevant to future revisions of the regulations. It seems clear that the current standards and regulations have been developed mainly by those experienced in crop production and in ecological issues and that a review of the regulations from an animal nutrition perspective is required.

References

European Commission (1999). Council Regulation (EC) No 1804/1999 of 19 July 1999 supplementing Regulation (EEC) No. 2092/91 on organic production of agricultural products and indications referring thereto on agricultural products and foodstuffs to include livestock production. Official Journal of the European Communities 2.8.1999, L222, 1–28.

NZFSA (2005). NZFSA Technical Rules for Organic Production, Version 5. New Zealand Food Safety Authority, Wellington.

Wilson, S. (2003). Feeding animals organically – the practicalities of supplying organic animal feed. In: Garnsworthy, P.C. and Wiseman, J. (eds) Recent Advances in Animal Nutrition. University of Nottingham Press, Nottingham, UK, pp. 161–172.

Chapter 2
Feedstuffs for Organic Feeding

Only those feedstuffs meeting organic standards are permitted in organic diets. No genetically modified (GM) types are allowed. Also, the organic standards are designed to require that most of the feedstuffs needed are produced on-farm.

New Zealand is one of the few countries to include a detailed list of approved feed ingredients in the organic regulations (Table 2.1). This is a very useful feature of its regulations. In addition, the regulations stipulate that the feeds must meet the Agricultural Compounds and Veterinary Medicines (ACVM) Act and regulations, and the Hazardous Substances and New Organisms (HSNO) Act, or are exempt, thus providing additional assurance to the consumer. This list appears to be based on the EU list, possibly because of export requirements.

The EU has a somewhat similar list (Table 2.1), but one detailing non-organic feedstuffs that can be used in limited quantities in organic feeds. It may be inferred from the EU list that organic sources of the named ingredients are acceptable. This list is particularly useful because it is currently very difficult to formulate some feeds that are 100% organic. As a result the regulations in several regions allow for feed to contain up to 5% non-organic ingredients. Should a producer need to take advantage of this provision, it is necessary that approval be obtained from the local certifying agency. The EU list can then be used to select the appropriate ingredients to make up the 5%.

Table 2.1 Comparison of approved organic feedstuffs in New Zealand and approved non-organic feedstuffs in the EU.

	New Zealand approved list (only those named in each category) MAF Standard OP3, Appendix Two, 2011 (NZFSA, 2011)	EU-approved list of non-organic feedstuffs (up to defined limits) Council Regulation EC No 834/2007, 2007 (EU, 2007)
1. Feed materials of plant origin	1.1 Cereals, grains, their products and by-products: oats as grains, flakes, middlings, hulls and bran; barley as grains, protein and middlings; rice germ expeller; millet as grains; rye as grains and middlings; sorghum as grains; wheat as grains, middlings,	1.1 Cereals, grains, their products and by-products: oats as grains, flakes, middlings, hulls and bran; barley as grains, protein and middlings; rice as grains, rice broken, bran and germ expeller; millet as grains; rye as grains, middlings, feed and bran; sorghum
1. Feed materials of plant origin	bran, gluten feed, gluten and germ; spelt as grains; triticale as grains; maize as grains, bran, middlings, germ expeller and gluten; malt culms; brewers’ grains (rice as grain, rice broken, rice bran, rye feed, rye bran and tapioca were delisted in 2004.)	as grains; wheat as grains, middlings, bran, gluten feed, gluten and germ; spelt as grains; triticale as grains; maize as grains, bran, middlings, germ expeller and gluten; malt culms; brewers’ grains.
	1.2 Oilseeds, oil fruits, their products and by-products: rapeseed, expeller and hulls; soya bean as bean, toasted, expeller and hulls; sunflower seed as seed and expeller; cotton as seed and seed expeller; linseed as seed and expeller; sesame seed as expeller; palm kernels as expeller; pumpkin seed as expeller; olives, olive pulp; vegetable oils (from physical extraction). (Turnip rapeseed expeller was delisted in 2004.)	1.2 Oilseeds, oil fruits, their products and by-products: rapeseed, expeller and hulls; soya bean as bean, toasted, expeller and hulls; sunflower seed as seed and expeller; cotton as seed and seed expeller; linseed as seed and expeller; sesame seed as seed and expeller; palm kernels as expeller; turnip rapeseed as expeller and hulls; pumpkin seed as expeller; olive pulp (from physical extraction of olives).
	1.3 Legume seeds, their product and by-products: chickpeas as seeds, middlings and bran; ervil as seeds, middlings and bran; chickling vetch as seeds submitted to heat treatment, middlings and bran; peas as seeds, middlings and bran; broad beans as seeds, middlings and bran; horse beans as seeds, middlings and bran; vetches as seeds, middlings and bran and lupin as seeds, middlings and bran.	1.3 Legume seeds, their product and by-products: chickpeas as seeds; ervil as seeds; chickling vetch as seeds submitted to an appropriate heat treatment; peas as seeds, middlings and bran; broad beans as seeds, middlings and bran; horse beans as seeds, vetches as seeds and lupin as seeds.
	1.4 Tuber roots, their products and by-products: sugar beet pulp, potato, sweet potato as tuber, potato pulp (by-product of the extraction of potato starch), potato starch, potato protein and manioc (cassava).	1.4 Tuber roots, their products and by-products: Sugar beet pulp, dried beet, potato, sweet potato as tuber, manioc as roots, potato pulp (by-product of the extraction of potato starch), potato starch, potato protein and tapioca.
	1.5 Other seeds and fruits, their products and by-products: carob, carob pods and meals thereof, pumpkins, citrus pulp, apples, quinces, pears, peaches, figs, grapes and pulps thereof; chestnuts, walnut expeller, hazelnut expeller; cocoa husks and expeller; acorns.	1.5 Other seeds and fruits, their products and by-products: carob pods, citrus pulp, apple pomace, tomato pulp and grape pulp.
	1.6 Forages and roughages: lucerne, lucerne meal, clover, clover meal, grass (obtained from forage plants), grass meal, hay, silage, straw of cereals and root vegetables for foraging.	1.6 Forages and roughages: lucerne, lucerne meal, clover, clover meal, grass (obtained from forage plants), grass meal, hay, silage, straw of cereals and root vegetables for foraging.
	1.7 Other plants, their products and by-products: molasses, seaweed meal (obtained by drying and crushing seaweed and washed to reduce iodine content), powders and extracts of plants, plant protein extracts (solely provided to young animals), spices and herbs.	1.7 Other plants, their products and by-products: molasses as a binding agent in compound feeding stuffs, seaweed meal (obtained by drying and crushing seaweed and washed to reduce iodine content), powders and extracts of plants, plant protein extracts (solely provided to young animals), spices and herbs.
2. Feed materials of animal origin	2.1 Milk and milk products: raw milk, milk powder, skim milk, skimmed milk powder, buttermilk, buttermilk powder, whey, whey powder, whey powder low in sugar, whey protein powder (extracted by physical treatment), casein powder, lactose powder, curd and sour milk.	2.1 Milk and milk pr...