[Dublin, IRELAND] – Worldwide the dairy industry is experiencing a boom time with strong whole and skim milk prices experienced by milk producers throughout the world. Against this positive outlook, 160 participants attended Alltech's seminar on 'Elevating Animal Performance and Health – Gut Efficiency; The Key Ingredient'. The seminar held at Alltech's European Bioscience Centre was opened by Aidan Connolly, vice-president, Alltech Europe and chaired by Sylvie Andrieu, European technical ruminant manager.
A panel of six international industry experts presented their views and participated in question and answer sessions with the attendees.

Prof. Michael Hutjens from Illinois University, USA, commenced the opening session with an inspiring talk about the current best management practices in rumen and gut health from a US perspective. He mentioned practical management tools such as the use of feed additives for optimal rumen performance.

Prof. Sergio Calsamiglia, Barcelona University, Spain, explained the relationship between rumen health and food borne disease such as E. coli contamination. He provided an overview of E. coli food contamination and potential routes to reduce the risk were examined, including the use of Bio-Mos®.

Prof. Jean-Pierre Jouany, INRA, France, discussed the contribution of ruminants to global methane emissions and put that into perspective dairy cow contributions to global greenhouse gas production. He reviewed strategies which mitigate the effects of methane production from genetic selection to management and nutritional strategies, including the use of yeast cultures such as Yea-Sacc®1026.

Dr. Liam Sinclair, Harper Adams University College, UK, outlined his experience on diet synchrony and its effect on rumen function. He reviewed the latest research results obtained with Optigen®, clearly stating its beneficial effects on rumen metabolism.

Dr. Declan O'Rourke, Ortec Consultancy, UK, presented on the practical aspects of calf gut health management, explaining the crucial interactions between nutrition, gut health and immunity, emphasising the importance of targeting the gestating cow to boost the immunity of the calf. The improvement in colostrum quality was discussed and the importance of Bio-Mos® in cow diets to improve calf health was evaluated.

Dr. Juan Tricarico, Alltech Inc, USA, delivered a comprehensive talk on antibiotic resistance in ruminants and the mechanisms involved. He then discussed the role of Bio-Mos structure on the antibiotic resistance of pathogenic bacteria.

The question and answer sessions provided an opportunity for industry professionals to explore the issues and created a forum to discuss the key issues facing the dairy industry.

For further information please log on to www.alltech.com or contact your local Alltech representative.