With feed constituting a major component of any animal production system and in the case of egg production, the major cost, it is vital that every aspect of the diet is correct in order to ensure optimum performance. When formulating rations suitable for organic egg production it is necessary, as with any ration, to take into consideration not only the nutritional requirement of the bird but also the legislative requirements as laid down by MAFF.
The nutritional requirement of the bird
The first thing to remember about feeding the laying bird for organic production is that she doesnt know that she is producing organic eggs. Her nutritional requirements are going to be influenced by her environment, which will affect her maintenance requirement, her level of production, influenced by her genetic potential, and her stage of growth. The fact that she is part of an organic egg production system does not place any additional requirement upon her and therefore from a nutritional point of view, the diet is very similar to one designed for standard free range egg production.
Whilst the make up of the diet is primarily driven by the bird’s nutritional demands, there are two regulations within the legislation that need to be considered. Included in EU regulation 1804 - 1999, due for implementation in August, are the statements: feed is intended to ensure quality production rather than maximising production AND dsease prevention in organic livestock production shall be based upon the following principles……. The use of high quality feed, together with regular exercise and access to pasturage, having the effect of encouraging the natural immunological defence of the animal.
Both of these may well be somewhat ambiguous but the spirit of the statement needs to be recognised and implemented. With the first we must ensure that the specification is not biased towards egg numbers at the expense of egg size or shell quality — hopefully we can achieve all three. With regard to the second regulation, this is a subject in itself but there is a link between certain dietary components and immunity. Areas for consideration include grist size, protein quality, vitamin and trace element status and the absence of immuno-suppressors e.g. mycotoxins.
The legislative standards applicable to the diet
The long term aim of organic egg production is to feed solely organically produced feedingstuffs, however this aim must be balanced with level of supply, and therefore at the present time the regulations allow the use of a quantity of non-organically produced ingredients.
Currently the rules stipulate for poultry a minimum of 80% organic ingredients within the agricultural fraction of the diet (for example, limestone a key ingredient for layers is outside the agricultural fraction, and constitutes approximately 10% of a layers diet. Therefore, 80% of the remaining 90% should be organic). However from the 1st of August the agricultural fraction of the diet should be 100% organic, but this percentage is being debated with Defra and in the EU, as the higher the figure, the more concern nutritionists and others have that it threatens to compromise the nutrition and welfare of organically fed birds.
The regulations also prohibit the inclusion of genetically modified material and products produced using genetically modified organisms. This has implications wider than the exclusion of GM maize and soya and excludes the use of some feed additives which are produced using GM technology. This includes certain enzymes and vitamins, and whilst non-GM alternatives are available, invariably these are at additional cost.
The regulations also limit the range of raw materials which can be used. Those of plant origin currently permitted, along with their by-products, include cereals, oil and legume seeds, tuber roots, forages and certain other plant materials. However, a further restriction on these products is the fact that they must not have been produced or prepared using chemical solvents. Animal products permitted for inclusion under the regulations include milk and fish or other marine animals, plus by-products.
All yolk pigments must be of a natural origin, however, many of the natural pigments which are commercially available are extracted and concentrated using chemical solvents and use of such material is therefore prohibited. This leaves grass and maize as the standard ingredient for achieving an acceptable yolk colour, although in the absence of any red pigments, the colour score will be limited. This is the reason many retailers are trying to make a positive selling point out of the paler yolked free range - organic egg.
As with any ration formulation it is critical we have a thorough understanding of any raw material variation. Whilst it is true to say that, as with all materials, there are good and bad within every source, in general organic cereals, which make up the largest component of the diet, are of lower nutritional quality than conventional cereals. This is largely due to the fact that the specific varieties being grown have been developed for conventional production and are not suited to organic type systems. Consequently, yield may be down as much as 50%, protein and starch yields are lower and weed seed contamination is considerably higher.
The cost of the diet
Due to the aforementioned issues it is obvious that organically produced raw materials are going to cost more to buy than their conventional counterparts. This can be seen with wheat differentials currently at around £150 per ton. Additional restrictions placed on processing conditions are also going to have the effect of increasing the cost of many of the conventional raw materials used in the diet. These cost differences alone will easily result in an increased raw material price in the region of £100 to £120 per ton.
There are also restrictions that are placed on the feed mill as part of the registration for organic production which also increases the cost of production and then coupled with the fact that in general organic feed is produced in shorter production runs and has a wider distribution area around the mill, all adding cost.
However, if we look to the future things may be a little brighter. There is a good chance that the differential between conventional and organic cereals will reduce as specifically developed new varieties emerge, and hence yield and quality is increased. New water extracted natural yolk pigmenters are being developed which will hopefully reduce the cost of achieving the desired yolk colour, and finally, as volumes develop the cost of manufacturing and transporting the feed will fall on a per ton basis.
