Whey for fattening organic pigs (OK-Net Ecofeed Practice Abstract)

Benefits • Whey is a natural ingredient derived from fresh milk and is characterized by its high nutritive value, palata-bility, and digestibility. • It promotes feed intake in the post-weaning period. • Whey fosters animal performance and gut health. • Whey contains high-quality protein. It can supply one-third of the protein needs for fattening pigs. Practical recommendation • Whey is a quite seasonal product; hence, this determines the period when it can be used and the number of pigs that can be fattened. • Whey can deteriorate very easily; two storage tanks are needed for hygiene reasons. • Do not feed whey stored over 2 days. • Sweet whey is the by-product remaining after the production of soft cheeses, while acid whey comes from hard cheeses and has a lower pH. It is important to consider that salt is added to the cheese before pressing; hence, the remaining liquid whey can contain as much as 10 % dry matter of salt. • Pigs should be provided with water access ad libitum to avoid salt toxicity. Additionally, reduction or elimination of supplemental salt in the diet formulation should be considered. • Salt and lactose contents should be considered to determine the daily intake rate. Fresh whey contains approximately 5% lactose, and growing pigs tolerate feeds containing up to 20-30% lactose (less for the older ones). Hence, whey should be analysed to determine the threshold for its inclusion before formulating pig diets.