Vitamin E supplementation – revised recommendations for organic dairy cow production (RELACS practice abstract)
Vitamin E is essential, and supplementation to the diet is often needed to meet the requirements of cows. Current supplementation recommendations may be overestimated in forage -based systems where grazing or grass -clover silages are the basal diet, with low to moderate levels of concentrate feed. An update of the requirements and recommendations for vitamin […]
Riboflavin for laying hens fed organic winter diets: effects of different supplementation rates on health, performance and egg quality
For reasons of aspired naturalness and cost reduction, vitamin additions should be kept low in organic livestock systems. To define safe lower threshold levels of riboflavin supplementation in organic poultry feeding, 135 hybrid layers were allocated to three dietary treatments supplemented with either 4.5 (R4.5), 3.0 (R3.0) or 1.5 mg (R1.5) GMO-free riboflavin added per […]
The Potential of Locally-Sourced European Protein Sources for Organic Monogastric Production: A Review of Forage Crop Extracts, Seaweed, Starfish, Mussel, and Insects
Published in “Sustainability”. Organic monogastric agriculture is challenged because of a limited availability of regional and organic protein-rich ingredients to fulfill the amino acid requirements. The development of novel feed ingredients is therefore essential. The use of starfish (Asterias rubens), mussel (Mytilus edilus), insect, green and brown seaweed, and forage crop extracts exhibits different approaches […]
Concluso il progetto OK-Net EcoFeed: importante supporto per i produttori biologici
Negli ultimi tre anni, 21 organizzazioni di 12 paesi europei hanno partecipato al progetto OK-Net EcoFeed di Horizon 2020 per aiutare gli agricoltori a raggiungere il 100% di utilizzo di mangimi biologici e regionali per suini e pollame. Il progetto è ora terminato. Per questo motivo, da marzo 2021 gli aggiornamenti e le attività sul […]
Clover-grass protein by bio-refining: nutrient composition and shelf life (OK-Net EcoFeed practice abstract)
Alternative protein sources can increase the use of locally produced protein, supporting the transition to 100% organic feeding. Clover-grass concentrate has a high protein content with a good amino acid profile for poultry. It is necessary to dry the green protein paste to maintain a good quality, but the drying process is expensive. Anaerobic storage […]
Ue: consultazione su produzione ed utilizzo di alghe, anche in agricoltura biologica
E’ aperta fino al 18 gennaio 2021 una consultazione della Ue per preparare possibili attività mirate al sostegno del settore delle alghe, comprese eventualmente misure regolamentari. Il documento sottoposto a consultazione riconosce, tra i diversi usi delle alghe, quello di fertilizzanti e biostimolanti, e la necessità di apporto di nutrienti nella loro produzione. Tra le lacune normative […]
Produzione di insetti per alimenti e mangimi sostenibili (anche biologici): i risultati di un webinar
300 persone hanno partecipato al webinar IPIFF (International Platform of Insects for Food and Feed) sulla circolarità nell’allevamento di insetti, il 19 novembre 2020. Sabine Jülicher, DG Santé della Commissione europea, ha indicato che la produzione di insetti è una componente importante delle catene alimentari sostenibili. Ha osservato che l’uso dei rifiuti alimentari come materia prima […]
Feeding strategies for organic broiler chickens
Organic broilers grow slower than conventional birds and so producers face the challenge of feeding quality feed components at lower concentrations. Feed needs to fulfil the amino acid and energy requirements of broilers for efficient growth and development, but growth is slower. Choice of feeding, access to range and forages can increase the utilisation of […]
Food safety considerations in integrated organic crop–livestock systems: prevalence of Salmonella spp. and E. coli O157:H7 in organically raised cattle and organic feed
Availability of organic foods has been increasing in the United States due to consumer demand for food produced with a lower environmental footprint. Surveys show that organic consumers view organic food as safer and of higher quality, but a number of food-borne outbreaks have been linked to organic produce in recent years. This outcome suggests […]