the eco-fce project is funded by the european union seventh...

The ECO-FCE project is funded by the European Union Seventh Framework Programme (FP7 2007/2013) under grant agreement No. 311794.


ECO-FCE co-ordination

Strategic co-ordinationNiamh O’ConnellInstitute for Global Food SecurityQueens University Belfast

Scientific co-ordination Elizabeth MagowanAgri-Food and Biosciences Institute


The evolution of intensive agriculture

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Predicted growth in global and urban populations:

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

2010 2020 2030 2040 2050 2060

Po

pu

lati

on

(b

n)

Year

Total Population

Rural population

Urban population

(Source: FAOSTATS)


Predicted per capita food consumption

2500

2600

2700

2800

2900

3000

3100

3200

World Developingcountries

Kca

l/p

ers

on

/day

2015

2030

2050

(Source: World Agriculture: towards 2030/2050 (Interim Report), FAO, 2006)


Predicted global increases in consumption of meat

0

0.5

1

1.5

2

2.5

3

% g

row

th r

ate

pe

r an

nu

m

1991-2001

2001-2030

2030-2050

(Source: World Agriculture: towards 2030/2050 (Interim Report), FAO, 2006)


Constraints to production

Competition for resources Environmental concerns


0

20

40

60

80

100

120

140

Poultry meat Pig meat Bovine meat Ovine meat

Pro

du

ctio

n (

mill

ion

to

nn

es)

Estimated global meat output 2014

Key goal within the context of sustainable intensification: Increased efficiency and reduced ecological footprint in key monogastric meat producing animals


ECO-FCE scientific objectives:

To understand the interactions within the monogastric biological system which create diversity, optimise feed use efficiency and reduce greenhouse gas emissions, nitrogen and phosphorus excretion, whilst not adversely affecting animal health, welfare or product quality.

To develop industry-ready tools which will facilitate the selection of breeding stock and nutritional strategies for improved gut health and functionality and host performance.


Academic partners

• Queens University Belfast, UK

• Agri-Food and Biosciences Institute, UK

• Teagasc, Ireland

• IRTA, Spain

• University of Technology and Life Sciences, Poland

• Vetmeduni, Austria

• Swiss Federal Research Station for Animal Production

• Aarhus University, Denmark

• Leibniz Institute for Farm Animal Biology, Germany

• Instytut Biochemii I Biofizyki Polskiej Akademii Nauk (IBB), Poland

• Poznan University of Life Sciences, Poland

Industrial partners

• Hermitage Pedigree Pigs, Ireland

• Devenish Nutrition Ltd, UK

• RTD Services, Austria

• Industrial Tecnica Pecuaria SA (ITPSA), Spain

• Delacon Biotechnik GmbH, Austria

• Cobb Europe Ltd, UK


Work Package 1 Electronic warehouse of

information

Work Package 2 Feeding and

nutritional strategies

Work Package 3 Gut and microbial

factors

Work Package 4 Maximising

genetic capability

Work Package 5 Development and

implementation of novel tools and models

Work package 6Dissemination and impact

Work package 7 Project management


WP1 - Electronic warehouse of information

• Generation of electronic warehouse of information on key ‘feed’, ‘gut’ and ‘genetic’ factors affecting FCE

• Meta-analysis (to ultimately form the basis of ‘eECO-FCE hub’)

• Horizon scanning and knowledge gaps

• Standardisation of methodology (e.g. for animal welfare assessment)


• Key words were:

• Pig, swine, chicken, duck, turkey, geese, goose, poultry, broiler, rabbit

• Feed*, nutri* diet*

• Gut, gastro*digest*, ileum, intestine,pre$c$ecal

• Gene*, breed*, geno*, transcript*, expression, heritab*, proteom*, metabolo*, select*, heterosi*, qti, “quantitative tr*”, marker

• Three databases (pubmed, scopus, web of knowledge) were searched

• 27 Libraries were generated (901,984 refs!)

• Data from references between 2008 – 2013 were extracted from the majority of libraries (some went

further back) due to time constraints

• Final data base being used for meta analysis has:

• 8000 lines of data for ‘chickens’ (approx 1200 papers)

• 7800 lines of data for ‘pigs’ (approx 1000 papers)


Pea seeds (extruded) 1

Pine needle (Pinusdensiflora) 2

Reeling silkworm pupa (RSP) 2chicory 3

Toasted bambaranut 3

Java plum beans 4Grass meal 6Crayfish 16

Rapeseed meal 418

Oyster shell 637

Meat and bone meal 734

Wheat 1577

Corn 6456

Fish meal 1510

Barley 325

Sorghum 274

Frequency of ‘ingredients’


Additives:

Acid 75

Antibotic 70

Coccidiostats 146

Phytogenic 108

Prebiotics 66

Probiotics 82

Symbiotics 7

Yeast 15

Biotin 20

Enzymes

beta-mannanase 1

finase 4Protease 35amylase 6

Cellulase and hemicellulase 10Phyzyme XP 12

ß-mannanase 12galactosidase+Avizyme 1502 22

Glucanase 31galactosidase enzyme 34Avizyme 45

Ronozyme 85xylanase 98Phytase 266


Possible initial questions to be answered through meta-analysis:

• Relative importance of feed, gut and genetic factors

• Do enzymes improve performance more than other additives?

• What has been the most effective enzyme combination

• When do enzymes work?

• What has been the most effective ‘additive’?

• Corn vs wheat vs barley


WP2 - Feeding and nutritional strategies

• Feeding strategies• Precision feeding• Liquid feeding• Nutrient conditioning

• Ingredients and feed additives:• In vitro digestibility (and fermentation)• In vivo evaluation in pigs and poultry

• Enzymes • Bioactive substances (e.g. saponins, spices, essential oils)

• Peri-natal nutrition for pigs

Measures of performance, feed efficiency, nutrient digestibility, but also of emissions, gut microbiota, gut histology and immunology, animal health and welfare, and meat quality taken where possible and appropriate


WP3 - Gut and microbial factors

Identification of pigs and broiler chickens with good and poor feed efficiency*

- characterisation of differences in gut microbiota

- characterisation of differences in gut structure, function and immunology

Investigation of optimum timing and delivery mechanism to optimise gut microbial profile

(*Also being used to generate samples for subsequent work packages)

- characterisation of differences in key welfare parameters i.e. bone health

- characterisation of differences in feed intake behaviour

- characterisation of differences in meat quality


WP4 - Maximising genetic capability

Characterisation of differences in the genetic profile of animals with good and poor FCE

Divergence and responsiveness of gut and liver at the different omics levels in relation to FCE trait expression and different feeding regimes

Holistic overview of common factors attributable to good and poor FCE in pigs and broiler chickens


WP5 - Development and implementation of novel tools and models

Development and testing of alternative measures and models of feed use efficiency

To develop an integrative genetic model

Quantifying potentials for improved efficiency

Generation of an industry-ready tool using information generated in the project (eEco-FCE hub)

‘3 in 1’ ecological calculator


Results to date – www.eco-fce.eu/events/publications

http://www.eco-fce.eu/events/publications


Ussing Chamber lab at the Institute of Animal Nutrition of Vetmeduni , Vienna

Mounting of tissue

Ussing Chambers


Nutritional conditioningIn a 2 x 2 factorial design, restriction was imposed in male broiler chickens either ‘early’ (during days 0-7) and/or ‘late’ (days 21 to 43)

Phosphorus Methionine

Early Tendency for positive effect on weight gain and FCR Early Improves FCR of late restricted birds

Tendency for slight increase in apparent ilealdigestibility of P at 43 days

No negative impact on welfare or product quality

Improves bone mineralisation

Does not affect gait score

Late Impairs performance (not compensated for by early conditioning)

Late Impairs growth and product quality

Increases gait score Improves N and AA digestibility (except MET, HIS, GLY, THR)

No impact on welfare measures


Effect of feed efficiency on bone characteristics (mean ±SE) from MicroCT scans of mid-shaft broiler femurs

Best (low RFI, n=11)

Worst (high RFI, n=12)

P

I min (mm4) 155 ±15.5 174 ±14.5 <0.01

I max (mm4) 216 ±23.85 242 ±22.3 <0.07

Z max (mm3) 44 ±3.3 48 ±3.1 <0.05

Z min (mm3) 32.6 ±2.7 36.7 ±2.5 <0.001

Z pol (mm3) 74 ±4.9 80 ±4.6 <0.05

Perimeter (mm) 34 ±2.0 36 ±1.8 <0.1

(I = cross sectional moment of area, Z = section modulus – both indicators of bone strength; Bone J on Image J)


Outputs to date from the project –Scientific abstracts

• Nine scientific abstracts either published or accepted:• World Congress of Genetics Applied to Livestock Production, Canada

• British Society of Animal Science Annual Congress, UK

• European Animal Production Association, Denmark

• Digestive Physiology in Pigs, Poland

• International Symposium on Lactic Acid Bacteria, The Netherlands

• Irish Grassland and Animal Production Associated Annual Conference

• Animal Science and Production Association, Italy


Outputs to date from the project –Scientific abstracts

Effects of arginine and carnitine supplementation on growth performance in low birth weight

piglets

J.G. Madsen1,2, S. Müller1,2, M. Kreuzer2, G. Bee1

1Agroscope, Institute for Livestock Sciences, 1725 Posieux, Switzerland 2ETH Zurich, Institute of Agricultural Sciences, 8092 Zurich, Switzerland

Potential of Lb. plantarum IBB3036 and Lb. salivarius IBB3154 for use as probiotics in animal .

Joanna Zylinska, Roman K. Gorecki and Jacek BardowskiInstitute Biochemistry and Biophysics Polish Academy of Sciences (IBB), Pawinskiego 5a, 02-106 Warsaw, Poland


Outputs to date from the project –Technology transfer

• External and internal newsletters

• Cordis ‘Results in brief’ EU website

• Eight press releases/websites

• Joint RuminOmics/Rumen Microbial Genomics Network/ECO-FCE workshop


Future plans

Final conference November 2016, Dublin/Belfast

Development of ‘food security’ exhibition for science museums

Stakeholder workshop and World Café event (prior to EAAP conference, Warsaw Sunday 30th August)

Maximise use of ECO-FCE website (www.eco-fce.eu)

Further, smaller stakeholder events in partner countries

Series of press releases

the eco-fce project is funded by the european union seventh...

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