Reducing agricultural nutrient surpluses in a large catchment – Links to livestock density

Since phosphorus (P) is an essential element for life, its usage and application across agricultural production systems requires great attention. Monogastric species such as pigs and poultry can significantly contribute to global food security but these animals remain highly dependent on the supply of mineral inorganic P in their feeds. Pig and poultry, which represent 70% of the global meat production, are also major P excretors and thus represent important sources of environmental P inputs. Balancing the P cycle within farming systems is crucial to achieve P sustainable and resilient livestock production. Therefore, the interconnection of animal feed, livestock farming, manure, and soil/aquatic ecosystems requires multidisciplinary approaches to improve P management. With regard to a sustainable agricultural P cycle, this study addresses aspects of feeding strategies and animal physiology (e.g., phase feeding, P conditioning, liquid feeding, phytase supplementation, genetics), soil agroecosystems (e.g., P cycling, P losses, P gains), reuse and recycling (e.g., manure, slaughter waste), measures of farmers’ economic performance (e.g., bio-economic models), and P governance/policy instruments (e.g., P quota, P tax). To reconcile the economic and ecological sustainability of animal husbandry, the strategic objective of future research will be to provide solutions for a sufficient supply of high-quality animal products from resource-efficient and economically competitive agro-systems which are valued by society and preserve soil and aquatic ecosystems.

Bridging Gaps in the Agricultural Phosphorus Cycle from an Animal Husbandry Perspective-The Case of Pigs and Poultry

Swine production systems have dramatically changed in the last three decades. Today main challenges for the hog industry are to maximize feed efficiency while minimizing production costs and environmental impacts. With regard to environmental impacts, the issue lies mainly with nitrogen and phosphorus excretion which are reaching alarmingly high levels in most intensive pig production areas (Strid Eriksson et al., 2005; Garcia-Launay et al., 2014). The high relevance of environmental load has forced swine producers and nutritionists around the world to reassess the nutritional and feeding programs in use. Excretion of nutrients can be reduced by providing an individual animal with its required dietary levels. This practice also improves nutrient efficiency and reduces production costs (Pomar et al., 2015; Andretta et al., 2016). Conventionally, factorial methods (NRC, 2012) are used to estimate nutrient requirements for pigs fed in large groups that receive the same feed for extended periods throughout their production cycle. In growing-finishing pigs, for example, their appetite increases faster than nutrient requirements and therefore, the optimal concentration of nutrients in the diet decreases as the pig gets older. These pigs are often fed with three feeds in three distinct feeding phases. The number of feeding phases can be increased to avoid oversupplying pigs with nutrients. Preferably, diets should be adjusted daily to account for the nutritional requirements of pigs more accurately, and therefore improve the efficiency of nutrient utilization. However, increasing the number of diets complicates feed management and increases production costs. Precision livestock farming is an innovative production system approach that can be defined as the management of livestock using the principles and technologies of process engineering (Wathes et al., 2008). Precision animal nutrition or precision feeding is part of the precision livestock farming approach and involves the use of feeding techniques that allow the proper amount of feed with the suitable composition to be supplied in a timely manner to a group of animals (Parsons et al., 2007; Cangar et al., 2008; Pomar et al., 2014) or to individual animals (Andretta et al., 2014; Andretta et al., 2016) to enhance farm profitability, efficiency, and sustainability (Hauschild et al., 2012; Pomar and Pomar, 2012; Pomar et al., 2017). In this production system, the interanimal variability is taken into account by feeding pigs with diets tailored daily to their individual requirements (Pomar et al., 2009; Hauschild et al., 2012; Andretta et al., 2014). The practical application of precision feeding, especially individual precision feeding, can have great impact on livestock sustainability. Precision feeding is a promising feeding technique to reduce the environmental footprint of pig production systems (Gerber et al., 2013). Precision feeding offers immediate and tangible benefits to the pork producer given that feeding pigs individually with daily tailored diets reduces lysine intake by more than 25%, feeding costs by more than 8%, nitrogen and phosphorus excretion by nearly 40% (Andretta et al., 2014; Andretta et al., 2016), and greenhouse gases emission by 6% (Andretta et al., 2018). Still, the actual on-farm application of precision feeding requires better understanding Implications

Precision pig feeding: a breakthrough toward sustainability

The impact of moving from conventional to precision feeding systems in growing-finishing pig operations on animal performance, nutrient utilization, and body and carcass composition was studied. Fifteen animals per treatment for a total of 60 pigs of 41.2 (SE = 0.5) kg of BW were used in a performance trial (84 d) with 4 treatments: a 3-phase (3P) feeding program obtained by blending fixed proportions of feeds A (high nutrient density) and B (low nutrient density); a 3-phase commercial (COM) feeding program; and 2 daily-phase feeding programs in which the blended proportions of feeds A and B were adjusted daily to meet the estimated nutritional requirements of the group (multiphase-group feeding, MPG) or of each pig individually (multiphase-individual feeding, MPI). Daily feed intake was recorded each day and pigs were weighed weekly during the trial. Body composition was assessed at the beginning of the trial and every 28 d by dual-energy X-ray densitometry. Nitrogen and phosphorus excretion was estimated as the difference between retention and intake. Organ, carcass, and primal cut measurements were taken after slaughter. The COM feeding program reduced (P < 0.05) ADFI and improved G:F rate in relation to other treatments. The MPG and MPI programs showed values for ADFI, ADG, G:F, final BW, and nitrogen and phosphorus retention that were similar to those obtained for the 3P feeding program. However, compared with the 3P treatment, the MPI feeding program reduced the standardized ileal digestible lysine intake by 27%, the estimated nitrogen excretion by 22%, and the estimated phosphorus excretion by 27% (P < 0.05). Organs, carcass, and primal cut weights did not differ among treatments. Feeding growing-finishing pigs with daily tailored diets using precision feeding techniques is an effective approach to reduce nutrient excretion without compromising pig performance or carcass composition.

The impact of feeding growing-finishing pigs with daily tailored diets using precision feeding techniques on animal performance, nutrient utilization, and body and carcass composition.

Pig production systems provide multiple benefits to humans. However, the global increase in meat consumption has profound consequences for our earth. This perspective describes two alternative scenarios for improving the sustainability of future pig production systems. The first scenario is a high input-high output system based on sustainable intensification, maximizing animal protein production efficiency on a limited land surface at the same time as minimizing environmental impacts. The second scenario is a reduced input-reduced output system based on selecting animals that are more robust to climate change and are better adapted to transform low quality feed (local feeds, feedstuff co-products, food waste) into meat. However, in contrast to the first scenario, the latter scenario results in reduced predicted yields, reduced production efficiency and possibly increased costs to the consumer. National evaluation of the availability of local feed and feedstuff co-product alternatives, determination of limits to feed sourced from international markets, available land for crop and livestock production, desired production levels, and a willingness to politically enforce policies through subsidies and/or penalties are some of the considerations to combine these two scenarios. Given future novel sustainable alternatives to livestock animal protein, it may become reasonable to move towards an added general premium price on 'protein from livestock animals' to the benefit of promoting higher incomes to farmers at the same time as covering the extra costs of, politically enforced, welfare of livestock animals in sustainable production systems. © 2020 The Authors. Journal of The Science of Food and Agriculture published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Society of Chemical Industry.

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Prospects for sustainability of pig production in relation to climate change and novel feed resources

The high cost of feed ingredients, the use of non-renewable sources of phosphate and the dramatic increase in the environmental load resulting from the excessive land application of manure are major challenges for the livestock industry. Precision feeding is proposed as an essential approach to improve the utilization of dietary nitrogen, phosphorus and other nutrients and thus reduce feeding costs and nutrient excretion. Precision feeding requires accurate knowledge of the nutritional value of feedstuffs and animal nutrient requirements, the formulation of diets in accordance with environmental constraints, and the gradual adjustment of the dietary nutrient supply to match the requirements of the animals. After the nutritional potential of feed ingredients has been precisely determined and has been improved by the addition of enzymes (e.g. phytases) or feed treatments, the addition of environmental objectives to the traditional feed formulation algorithms can promote the sustainability of the swine industry by reducing nutrient excretion in swine operations with small increases in feeding costs. Increasing the number of feeding phases can also contribute to significant reductions in nutrient excretion and feeding costs. However, the use of precision feeding techniques in which pigs are fed individually with daily tailored diets can further improve the efficiency with which pigs utilize dietary nutrients. Precision feeding involves the use of feeding techniques that allow the provision of the right amount of feed with the right composition at the right time to each pig in the herd. Using this approach, it has been estimated that feeding costs can be reduced by more than 4.6%, and nitrogen and phosphorus excretion can both be reduced by more than 38%. Moreover, the integration of precision feeding techniques into large-group production systems can provide real-time off-farm monitoring of feed and animals for optimal slaughter and production strategies, thus improving the environmental sustainability of pork production, animal well-being and meat-product quality.

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Paolo Alberto Lovatto

Papers

Applying precision feeding techniques in growing-finishing pig operations