How to sustain animal welfare in NAE operations by managing intestinal health
As consumer demand drives more of the poultry industry towards a “No Antibiotics Ever” (NAE) label, more than half of U.S. broilers are raised without ionophore usage. Effective vector and disease management becomes crucial to ensure safety and animal welfare in these operations, with producers searching for new solutions.
While ionophores used to produce conventional broilers provide many advantages including animal health and welfare, sustainability, performance and control of pathogens that cause foodborne illness, the industry must continue to find innovative ways to support NAE production. Approximately 50 percent of all broilers in the US are NAE.NAE production comes with its own unique set of challenges to controlling disease and maintaining animal welfare. Intestinal Integrity and gut health are key parts of animal welfare for antibiotic-free and NAE producers.