Despite the implementation of action plans and improved husbandry conditions, poultry farms often have no choice but to use antibiotics due to individual health issues. To promote animal health, they are increasingly turning to natural products or preparations based on natural substances, such as oregano, Effective Microorganisms (EM), clay minerals or organic acids. How effective are these products? What experiences have practitioners gained with them?
The project “Minimising Antibiotic Use in Poultry Farming: Alternative Prophylactic Measures” (AntiMin-Pro) is part of the Model and Demonstration Projects (MuD) on Animal Welfare within the Federal Programme for Livestock Farming and aims to pool knowledge on alternative prophylactic measures and test innovative approaches in practice. The focus is on natural-based products to improve animal health, with the aim of minimising the use of antibiotics in poultry farming. The project is being carried out by FiBL Deutschland e.V. and the Institute of Pharmacology, Toxicology and Pharmacy at Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich, in collaboration with DLG e.V. and Gallicon Poultry Consultancy.
The focus here is on the following questions:
- Which preventive methods demonstrate a positive effect in relation to the occurrence of bacterial infectious diseases requiring treatment?
- Does the combination of natural substances provide added value?
- Is there a general improvement in animal health?
- Do alternative prophylactic methods help to reduce the frequency of treatment on the farm?
- Do the preventive measures used have a positive impact on the economic performance of fattening and laying flocks?
Poultry farmers who have already gained experience with natural substance-based products are invited to share their experiences via a survey accompanying the project.