Biacid™ Feed Additive Promotes Growth without Antibiotics
Combining its expertise with Provimi’s premium products, Cargill broadens farmers’ access to alternative forms of animal nutrition.
January 01, 2015
In 2006, the European Union banned the use of antibiotic growth promoter in animal feeds. Six years earlier, the Provimi feed additive company had proactively developed alternatives to antibiotic growth promoters, including the feed additive Biacid™, a plant-based antibiotic alternative. The unique product contains exactly specified and highly efficient essential oil components that are beneficial for poultry gut health. In 2011, after acquiring Provimi, Cargill broadened its reach in the European market with more antibiotic-free alternatives.
“Bringing together the talents and expertise of our two organizations creates a global leader in animal nutrition,” said Joe Stone, Cargill’s animal nutrition business leader. “This will enable us to have a broader market reach and an even better product and service capability.”
With expertise in compound feeds, sustainable supply chains and risk management, Cargill expanded the distribution of Biacid products significantly, bringing them to more local markets across Europe as well as the Middle East, Southeast Asia, Russia and Latin America. Cargill also supported the distribution of Biacid by helping prove its efficacy in different regions of the world. Biacid was tested in Cargill’s application centers in places such as France, Jordan, Poland and Thailand and was repeatedly able to prove its efficiency across different poultry diets, climates and other geography-based variables.
Soon, Biacid emerged as a key product in the global market for feed additive alternatives to antibiotics. In countries like Thailand, which do not have bans on growth-promoting antibiotics in feed, export-oriented farmers were able to adapt to the needs of the EU market, maintaining or increasing their profits.
Currently, the product is being launched in China, a huge and profitable market for poultry. Cargill’s animal nutrition business expects demand for Biacid to double in the next three years, which will expand the use of alternatives to antibiotics in the poultry industry and reveal a need for more tailored feed solutions that help ensure success.