Research Shows Paylean Improves Economics of Raising Pork
CANADA - Farm-Scape: Episode 2240. Farm-Scape is a Wonderworks Canada production and is distributed courtesy of Manitoba Pork Council and Sask Pork.
20 November 2006
3 minute read
Farm-Scape, Episode 2240
Research conducted at the Prairie Swine Centre shows the use of Paylean will improve feed efficiency and growth rate without negatively impacting carcass quality.
Ractopamine, marketed under the trade name Paylean is a dietary supplement developed by Elanco Animal Health.
Paylean has been used in several countries for a number of years and it was approved in Canada in July 2005.
Last summer, in an effort to determine the effect of Paylean on performance, carcass quality and eating quality of the pork, scientists with the Prairie Swine Center and the University of Saskatchewan conducted a series of feeding trials.
Prairie Swine Centre president Dr. John Patience says Paylean was used at five parts per million, the dosage recommended in Canada.
We started the pigs at about 85 kilograms.
We wanted them to be on the Paylean product for an average of about 28 days and it ended up being 26.5 so we were pretty close to our target.
We adjusted the diet.
When you feed Paylean you have to increase the amino acid content of the diet because the pigs grow more lean than they would without Paylean so that was very important but, at the end of the day, we found that Paylean increased growth rate by 13 percent and improved feed efficiency by 13 percent because it had no effect on feed intake at all.
It improved the carcass in both barrows and gilts.
In barrows it reduced backfat and increased loins.
In gilts it had no effect on backfat but it increased loins as well.
While we believe that the economic benefit will vary amongst farms quite substantially, depending on a number of variables, that overall the average economic impact we would estimate to be in the range of about two dollars per pig.
Dr. Patience notes variables that could influence the economic benefit of using Paylean include such things as genetic quality of the pigs, the current performance of the pigs relative to their potential, availability of grow out space and the packing grid being sold into.
Staff Farmscape.Ca
