Skip to content

PROBLEMS AND SOLUTIONS

Problems

  • The prohibition of the incorporation of the prophylactic use of antibiotics in feed makes it essential to look for new alternatives that improve the intestinal health of animals.
  • The great challenge that this innovation project aims to help solve is to reduce the use of antibiotics in rabbit farming through the use of nutritional strategies and marine macroalgae in the diet of animals.
  • This is a major problem for the rabbit sector, which due to the fragility of the intestinal health of the rabbits at the time of weaning presents important digestive problems, where epizootic enteropathy stands out, leading to serious economic losses.
  • Nutrition, without being responsible for the disease, can play a relevant role in solving this problem, along with other aspects such as handling, hygiene and disinfection.
  • The inclusion of ingredients that can provide alternative forms of soluble fiber, active ingredients that enhance the function of the intestinal barrier and have a highly digestible protein could contribute to better control of the disease, which would have a positive impact on the productivity of the sector.

Solutions

  • Guarantee the sustainability of rabbit production, making the reduction in the use of antibiotics compatible with the profitability of farms and the maintenance of said activity in rural areas.
  • Improve animal welfare by improving their health by avoiding digestive problems without the need for medications.
  • Contribute to the reduction of resistance to antibiotics and provide solutions to the REDUCE program in rabbits.
  • Valuing the discards and inputs of the transformation activity of seaweed for human consumption, making this activity more sustainable by reducing the waste generated.
  • Diversify the economy, by opening a new line of business aimed at manufacturing feed for animal feed, taking advantage of discards, supplies, residues and/or species of seaweed with nutritional value.
  • Achieve a differentiated product in the market, a meat with a more heart-healthy fat profile, aimed at an increasingly demanding consumer who demands a "clean label" whose interest is consolidated towards healthy, natural and sustainable foods.