February issue All About Feed now online

Zinc and copper are essential nutrients and must be supplemented. However, high levels are found in the manure of animals and this can cause environmental issues in farm dense areas. One of the main reasons for this problem is that we actually supplement the animals with too high amounts, higher than the requirement. In her article on page 22 of this issue, researcher Laura Star from Schothorst Feed Research in the Netherlands explains that the true requirements are not known exactly. “Trace minerals are not so extensively studied as other nutrients like energy and amino acids. This is partly due to the fact that addition of trace minerals was not an issue in the past, and a large safety margin was used to achieve a good production performance. We also have to deal with different requirements for different parameters, the factors that influence requirements (age for example) and the interaction with other minerals”, Star says

In the article on page 11 of this issue, Johan den Hartog from GMP+ International refreshes the readers why it is important to have a GMP+ certificate and what it entails.  “In June 2015, GMP+ International reached with three other leading feed safety assurance scheme holders (AIC, Ovocom, QS) an agreement to harmonise the requirements for purchase of feed ingredients and services. Leading principle is that every company in the supply chain should assure the feed safety by applying the best practises and demonstrate this via third party certification. The aim is to create uniformity, to improve transparency and to avoid (ab)use of the current differences”, Den Hartog explains.

Johan den Hartog

In the article on page 8 of this edition of All About Feed, the Dutch company KSE explains why it is important to dose the right amount of ingredients into the feed. Dosing the right components has always been crucial in producing good quality feed or premix. All components need to be dosed in the right percentage for the mix. But feed is getting more and more detailed, sophisticated, and better balanced to the needs of the animal. Even the smallest deviation or variation in feed composition can have a big influence on the performance of the animals.

Dosing: Accuracy and speed is key

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