First phytogenic performance enhancer approved for use in piglets in EU

//24 Feb 2012
Phytogenic performance enhancer Fresta F, manufactured by Austrian feed additive company Delacon, has been approved in the European Union for use in piglet feed.
The brand is the first phytogenic (or plant-derived) product to be registered as a zootechnical additive in the EU. The approval by the European Commission means that the product is safe and efficacious.

A lot of different phytogenic feed additive products have entered the market in recent years, mainly as a consequence of the EU ban on usage of antibiotic growth promoters in 2006. Delacon speaks of a ‘milestone’, being the first in that phytogenic market to have an approval in the European Union. “It marks the first time a regulatory body has accepted that a phytogenic feed additive delivers safe, effective and proven results.”

In a press release, the company describes the product as ‘a combination of standardised, plant derived substances, developed to improve the performance of piglets’. The product affects the excretion of digestive juices and enzymes and thus increases the nutrient digestibility, the main reason for the proven performance enhancing effect.

The European Commission approved the product for use in piglet feed after a safety, quality and efficacy evaluation process that lasted about two years. The product has been in use worldwide for many years.

Related website:
• Delacon