A feed ingredient that helps hogs reach market weight with less feed is available to Canadian producers.
Paylean, a product of Elanco Animal Health, was launched commercially in Canada on May 8. Hog producers in the United States have been using it for six years.
Producers in Canada using Paylean can expect a 10 to 15 percent improvement in average daily gain and feed conversion, said Colin Hatch of Elanco Animal Health. On average, producers will net an additional $2 per pig by using the product, he said.
Paylean is a feed additive that changes a hog’s metabolism so nutrients are switched from fat growth to muscle development. The result is that pigs reach market weight in fewer days with less feed and yield more high-value cuts of meat.
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Hatch said there are two main things producers need to keep in mind when using Paylean: the duration that pigs are fed the product when being finished for slaughter; and the need to adjust the feed ration to support the increased growth.
Elanco recommends feeding Paylean for an average of 28 days at five parts per million in the finishing diet.
Lysine levels will need to be increased to fuel the increased protein production that turns into meat.
“Make sure you get the duration right and make sure you talk with a nutritionist about adjusting your ration,” Hatch said.
Paylean is not a steroid, antibiotic or product of biotechnology. It is what scientists call a beta-agonist and what Elanco describes as an organic compound made through organic chemistry.
However, the European Union does not allow livestock to be fed commercially with Paylean. As a result, a protocol has been established for Canadian producers, packers and exporters wanting to ship pork to Europe and needing to demonstrate that no Paylean is used.
The Prairie Swine Centre in Saskatoon is finishing a study on the feed additive to better understand how it fits with hog production in Western Canada. The growth of pigs, carcass quality and eating quality are all part of the study. Among other things, the research will help determine how the carcass quality of pigs fed Paylean fits with the marketing grids of packers in Canada.
The results of the study should be available later this spring, said Denise Beaulieu, a research assistant at the Prairie Swine Centre. The only thing she would reveal is that hogs used in the research did show definite improvements in growth with Paylean.
“The improvement in growth was not a surprise to us. That has been shown over and over in the U.S.”
