Growth promoter
Growth or performance enhancers are used in agriculture to accelerate the growth of livestock or to improve feed conversion . Antibiotic performance enhancers in animal feed have been banned in Switzerland since 1999 and in the EU since 2006.
The use of hormones to promote performance has always been banned in the European Union .
Antibiotic growth promoters
Antibiotics inhibit the growth of germs or kill them. Antibiotic performance enhancers act on the rumen of ruminants and the intestines of pigs and poultry. Growth promoters promote propionic acid-producing bacteria and inhibit the formation of acetic and lactic acid. Only substances that were not used in human medicine were approved as antibiotic performance enhancers in Europe. This is to prevent the formation of resistance . In order to completely rule out the formation of resistance, all antibiotic performance promoters have been banned in Europe since 2006 and are no longer used.
Antibiotic growth promoters can reduce methane formation in the beef rumen and thus help to avoid greenhouse gases .
India , China , Brazil and the USA are among the largest consumers worldwide .
Probiotic growth promoters
Probiotic growth promoters affect the intestinal flora by promoting desirable intestinal microbes and competing with undesired nutrients to inhibit them. Their effect is therefore delayed. Lactic acid bacteria or yeast and inulin are used as probiotic performance enhancers .
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b No antibiotics for healthy animals. Neue Zürcher Zeitung , November 9, 2017, accessed on November 10, 2017.