Goals of the research project:
- Determination of the protein digestibility of clover grass silage and alfalfa meal by fattening pigs
- Investigation of the adaptability of the digestive tract of fattening pigs to the feed to be tested during fattening
Through EU Regulation 2092/91, which regulates the use of conventional feed in the organic sector, the maximum percentages for the use of conventional protein feed will be gradually reduced to zero percent over the next few years by 2012. The aim is to examine a protein feed produced in Austria in order to be able to reduce purchased protein feed such as soybeans in the ration. If too little protein is used in feeding pigs for fattening, muscle development and growth suffer. The aim of the experiment is to find a protein feed that can be produced domestically in the long term by organic farms on their own land. The plan is to examine clover in the form of clover silage and alfalfa green meal. Clover as green fodder or silage is used by breeding farms as an activity material or as roughage to train the stomach. In the first step, it is necessary to carry out experiments and studies to determine the extent to which the protein from the clover silage and the alfalfa green meal can be digested by the pig.
There are no digestibility quotients for clover grass silage in the currently valid feed value tables for pigs (DLG 1991), and only a few studies can be found in the international literature in which digestion tests were carried out with these raw fiber-rich feedstuffs.
The use of clover silage and alfalfa green meal will subsequently be tested in practice.
In addition to the ecological idea of the circular economy, the economic comparison (based on practical tests) can mean an additional economic benefit for a feeding variant without or with less purchase of protein feed. As roughage, clover in the form of silage and alfalfa green meal could also contribute to stabilizing the intestinal flora and thus promote animal health and inhibit pathogenic germs.
Further information on project management can be found in the database for research and sustainable development (Dafne) -> Link
