//28 Feb 2011
In the beginning, the use of zinc oxide in pig production was greeted with some skepticism. Ever since, the method has always remained the subject of pro and con discussions, resulting nowadays in some countries having embraced, banned or re-embraced ZnO. This overview aims to give more insight into its history – and alternatives.
In fact, it's been known for a long time that zinc oxide (ZnO) could stop diarrhoeas in weaned pigs.
By Dr Ioannis Mavromichalis, international consulting nutriionist, Ariston Nutrition, Spain
Perhaps what Dr Hanne Poulsen presented back in 1989 wasn’t news, but for sure the knowledge was not widely known at the time. At the scientific community at the 40th annual meeting of the European Association for Animal Production in Dublin she said that zinc oxide (ZnO) could stop diarrhoeas in weaned pigs – a long-practiced remedy among some veterinarians. After all, ZnO was already used as a bacteriostatic in human medicine in the form of ointment applied to external cuts and other skin problems. In 1989, it was the first time that this method of controlling diarrhoea in piglets was published in a scientific forum.
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