Pig feed additives are the vitamins, trace elements, amino acids, enzymes, acids, probiotics and other substances added to pig feed phase by phase, under EU and US rules that differ most on zinc, copper and growth-claim drugs. Each EU act names its own pig category, from "suckling piglets" and "weaned piglets" to "pigs for fattening" and "sows", so a legal content written for one category never transfers to another.
Zinc shows the gap most clearly: Implementing Regulation (EU) 2016/1095 caps total zinc at 150 mg/kg complete feed (12 % moisture) for piglets and sows, while US zinc salts are GRAS under 21 CFR 582.80 with no federal numeric maximum. A pig programme therefore combines phase-specific EU entries, such as benzoic acid 4d210 at exactly 5 000 mg/kg for weaned piglets or 6-phytase 4a1640 at a legal minimum of 250 FTU/kg, with US tools that have no EU route, such as ractopamine and carbadox. Every figure carries one basis: an EU legal minimum or maximum, a US approved level under 21 CFR 558, or a named trial, such as the 3 kg lower sow weight loss with a xylanase-based enzyme in lactation.
Every value here is compiled from the EU authorising acts, the EU Register of Feed Additives, EFSA opinions, the eCFR and named peer-reviewed studies, checked on 3 November 2026; see the methodology.
What Do Feed Additives Do in Pig Production?#
Feed additives in pig production supply nutrients the diet lacks, raise digestibility, steady gut function and keep feed stable, from the first feed after weaning to the last finisher diet and through each sow cycle. Each additive sits in one of the five feed additive categories of Regulation (EC) No 1831/2003: technological, sensory, nutritional, zootechnical, and coccidiostats and histomonostats. In pig feed the nutritional category carries vitamins, trace elements and amino acids; the zootechnical category carries enzymes (4a), gut flora stabilisers (4b) and other zootechnical additives (4d).
An EU additive may claim only what its authorisation states: the benzoic acid entry for pigs for fattening and sows states a decrease in urinary pH, not a disease outcome.
Four production phases and their legal animal categories#
Pig programmes run in four phases, suckling, weaning and nursery, grower-finisher, and gestation and lactation, and each EU act names its own pig category, so a value set for weaned piglets never transfers to sows. The table maps each phase to its EU and US categories and to its programme page.
| Phase | EU category (as in the acts) | US category | Phase page |
|---|---|---|---|
| Suckling, weaning and nursery | "suckling piglets", "weaned piglets" | "swine" by weight, for example "up to 25 lb" in K-State guidance | Piglet and weaner feed additives |
| Grower-finisher | "pigs for fattening" | "growing-finishing swine"; "finishing swine" of at least 150 lb (21 CFR 558.500) | Grower-finisher pig feed additives |
| Gestation and lactation | "sows", "sows of all Suidae species" | "breeding swine", "pregnant sows" (excluded on the carbadox, narasin and ractopamine labels) | Sow feed additives |
The categories also decide which maximum applies, because EU maxima are set per pig category as totals in complete feed. The same phase logic runs for poultry and cattle under feed additives by species, each with its own legal categories and its own maxima.
How EU and US rules shape a pig programme#
In the EU no antibiotic other than a coccidiostat may be a feed additive, antimicrobial medicated feed may not be used for prophylaxis, and zinc and copper are capped as totals in complete feed. Article 5(4) of Regulation (EC) No 1831/2003 bars antibiotics other than coccidiostats and histomonostats, and the last growth promoters were marketed until 31 December 2005 and deleted from 1 January 2006 (Art. 11(2)). Regulation (EU) 2019/4 Art. 17(3), applicable from 28 January 2022, bars antimicrobial medicated feed for prophylaxis. Zootechnical entries are holder-bound; nutritional entries such as zinc are generic.
In the US, pig feed drugs sit in 21 CFR 558, where each section sets the level in g/ton, the swine class and any withdrawal period. Guidance for Industry #213 (final 12 December 2013, completed January 2017) removed the growth claims of medically important antimicrobials, and those drugs now need a veterinary order under 21 CFR 558.6 (final rule of 3 June 2015, effective 1 October 2015). Bacitracins, bambermycins, carbadox and ionophores are not medically important and stay over the counter where approved.
Additive Programme Table by Phase#
The programme table lists the main pig feed additives by phase, with the EU identification number, the holder where the act names one, the legal content for each pig category and the US status side by side.
| # | Phase | Additive | EU entry and holder | EU category and content | EU status | US status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Suckling | Iron in animal feed | 3b110 iron dextran 10 % | suckling piglets; 1 mL/kg bw orally once in weeks 1 and 2 (EFSA safe dose 2017); no EU maximum stated here | EU Register lists suckling piglets, expiry 2028-01-04 | GRAS, 21 CFR 582.80 (iron salts) |
| 2 | Suckling to sows | Probiotics for pigs | 4b1705 Enterococcus lactis NCIMB 10415 (DSM Nutritional Products Ltd); 4b1702 Saccharomyces cerevisiae CNCM I-4407 (S.I. Lesaffre); 4b1902 Bacillus subtilis DSM 25841 (Chr. Hansen A/S) | 4b1705: suckling piglets min 1 x 10^9, weaned piglets and pigs for fattening min 3.5 x 10^8, sows min 7 x 10^8 CFU/kg; 4b1702: weaned piglets and sows min 5 x 10^9, pigs for fattening min 1.25 x 10^9 CFU/kg; 4b1902: all porcine species including sows other than lactating sows min 5 x 10^8 CFU/kg (EU legal minimum) | 2024/1161 to 2034-05-13; 2020/147 to 2030-02-24 and 2019/899 to 2029-06-23; 2020/1760 to 2030-12-16 | no FDA approval; CPG Sec. 689.100 |
| 3 | Weaning, fattening, sows | Benzoic acid in animal feed | 4d210 (DSM Nutritional Products Ltd represented by DSM Nutritional Products Sp. z o. o.) | weaned piglets 5 000 mg/kg (EU legal min = max); pigs for fattening and sows 5 000 to 10 000 mg/kg, urinary pH decrease | 2026/1832 to 2036-08-18 | max 0.5 % of complete swine feed, 21 CFR 573.210 |
| 4 | Weaning, fattening, sows | Potassium diformate | 1a237a generic; 4d800 (ADDCON Europe GmbH) | 1a237a: weaned piglets and pigs for fattening max 6 000, sows max 12 000 mg/kg (EU legal maximum); 4d800: sows 10 000 to 12 000 mg/kg (EU legal min and max) | 2022/1374 to 2032-08-28; 2023/1698 to 2033-09-27 | n/a here |
| 5 | Suckling, weaning | Acid blends | 4d3 citric acid, sorbic acid, thymol, vanillin (Vetagro SpA) | suckling piglets min 1 000 mg/kg; all porcine species (weaned) min 1 000 mg/kg (EU legal minimum) | 2020/1375 to 2030-10-22; 2020/2119 to 2031-01-06 | n/a here |
| 6 | Weaning | Essential oils in feed | 4d19 (Biomin GmbH) | weaned piglets 75 to 125 mg preparation/kg (EU legal min and max) | 2020/160 to 2030-02-26 | n/a here |
| 7 | Weaning, fattening | Feed sweeteners | 2b959 NHDC, generic | piglets, pigs for fattening max 35 mg/kg complete feed (EU legal maximum) | 2026/1150 to 2036-06-18 | no 21 CFR 573 or 582 listing found |
| 8 | All phases | Zinc in animal feed | zinc compounds of 2016/1095 (for example 3b603), generic | piglets and sows 150, other pigs 120 mg/kg total (EU legal maximum) | printed expiry 2026-07-27; the EU Register records a renewal application and still lists the entry pending the Commission decision (Article 14 of Regulation (EC) No 1831/2003) | GRAS, 21 CFR 582.80; no federal maximum |
| 9 | All phases | Copper in animal feed | copper compounds 3b401 to 3b405, generic | suckling and weaned piglets up to 4 weeks after weaning 150; weeks 5 to 8 after weaning 100; other pigs 25 mg/kg total (EU legal maximum) | 2018/1039 to 2028-08-13 | GRAS, 21 CFR 582.80; no federal maximum |
| 10 | Weaning to sows | Phytase in animal feed | 4a1640 6-phytase (Genencor International B.V.) | weaned piglets and pigs for fattening min 250 FTU/kg; all porcine species other than weaned piglets and pigs for fattening min 500 FTU/kg (EU legal minimum) | 2020/164 to 2030-02-26 | n/a here |
| 11 | Grower-finisher | L-lysine in animal feed | 3c330 lysine sulphate, generic; HCl and liquid forms | sulphate max 10 000 mg additive/kg (EU legal maximum); HCl and liquid no maximum | 2026/93 to 2036-02-05 | GRAS, 21 CFR 582.5411 |
| 12 | All phases | Vitamin A in animal feed | 3a672a, 3a672b, 3a672c, generic | piglets 16 000, pigs for fattening 6 500, sows 12 000 IU/kg total (EU legal maximum) | printed expiry 2025-05-26; the EU Register records a renewal application and still lists the entry pending the Commission decision (Article 14 of Regulation (EC) No 1831/2003) | GRAS, 21 CFR 582.5933 |
| 13 | Gestation, lactation | L-carnitine in animal feed | 3a910, 3a911, generic | all animal species, no maximum; 125 mg/sow/day gestation, 250 mg/sow/day lactation (named trial, Ramanau et al. 2004) | printed expiry 2025-05-19; the EU Register records a renewal application and still lists the entry pending the Commission decision (Article 14 of Regulation (EC) No 1831/2003) | no 21 CFR 573, 582 or 584 section found |
| 14 | Gestation, lactation | 25-hydroxyvitamin D3 in animal feed | 3a670a, generic | pigs max 0.050 mg/kg complete feed (12 % moisture) (EU legal maximum) | 2024/1070 to 2034-05-05 | 21 CFR 584.725 and 573.550 name poultry only |
| 15 | Lactation | Feed enzymes | NSP enzymes (xylanase-based) | lactating sows: body weight loss about 3 kg lower (8 trials, 992 sows; named study, Cozannet et al. 2018) | per entry | n/a here |
| 16 | All phases | Vitamins in animal feed | vitamin D3 3a671, generic | pigs max 2 000 IU/kg; milk replacers for piglets 10 000 IU/kg (EU legal maximum) | 2017/1492, printed expiry 2027-09-11 | GRAS, 21 CFR 582.5953 |
| 17 | All phases | Trace minerals in animal feed | functional group 3b, generic | totals include the basal content | see rows 8 and 9 | GRAS, 21 CFR 582.80 |
| 18 | All phases | Feed-grade amino acids | functional group 3c, category 3, generic | no maximum for lysine HCl (row 11) | per entry | GRAS, 21 CFR 582 (for example lysine 582.5411, threonine 582.5881) |
Legal minimum contents are not recommended doses: enzymes and micro-organisms carry a floor below which the authorisation does not apply, usually with no maximum, as rows 2 and 10 show. Maximum contents are totals per kg complete feed (12 % moisture) including the basal diet. US growth-claim drugs have no row, since none has an EU entry; the divergence table sets them against their EU status.
Suckling and weaning phase#
Suckling piglets require 7 to 16 mg Fe per day while sow milk supplies about 1 mg, and the EU feed-additive route for them is oral iron dextran 10 % (3b110) (Szudzik and colleagues, Pharmaceuticals, 2018). EFSA (2017) found 1 mL/kg body weight orally once in weeks 1 and 2 safe, an assessment rather than a legal content, and Implementing Regulation (EU) 2017/2330 Art. 2 bars authorised iron compounds from water for drinking. Parenteral iron is a veterinary medicine outside feed. The 4d3 preparation has a suckling-piglet entry under Implementing Regulation (EU) 2020/1375.
Weaned piglets have the densest set of EU entries: benzoic acid 4d210, potassium diformate 1a237a, the 4d3 preparation, the 4d19 essential-oil preparation and NHDC as a sweetener. Two former piglet tools are gone: Implementing Regulation (EU) 2024/1727 withdrew sodium saccharin (compound feed until 11 July 2026), and Implementing Regulation (EU) 2026/119 denied a carvacrol preparation for weaned piglets. In a review of 31 studies, Hernández-García and colleagues (Research in Veterinary Science, 2024) found that essential oils improved daily gain and feed conversion and reduced diarrhoea in weaned piglets. Ludorf and colleagues (Animals, 2026; 29 studies) found Bacillus subtilis effects mainly under challenge and strain-dependent.
Grower and finisher phase#
Grower-finisher programmes in the EU rest on digestibility and nutrient supply: phytase at a legal minimum of 250 FTU/kg for pigs for fattening (4a1640), crystalline amino acids, benzoic acid for urinary pH and vitamin A within 6 500 IU/kg. Lysine sulphate 3c330 is capped at 10 000 mg additive/kg under Implementing Regulation (EU) 2026/93, while lysine HCl carries no maximum. Copper falls to the 25 mg/kg total set for other pigs and zinc to 120 mg/kg. No antibiotic growth promoter is authorisable for finishers in the EU, and ractopamine has no EU register entry.
US finishing programmes add tools with no EU route: narasin at 13.6 to 27.2 g/ton for gain (21 CFR 558.363) and ractopamine at 4.5 to 9.0 g/ton for finishing swine of at least 150 lb in the last 45 to 90 lb of gain, on diets of at least 16 % crude protein (21 CFR 558.500). In the EU, narasin is a coccidiostat for chickens for fattening only.
Gestation and lactation phase#
Sow programmes in the EU use entries written for sows: potassium diformate up to 12 000 mg/kg, benzoic acid at 5 000 to 10 000 mg/kg, phytase at a legal minimum of 500 FTU/kg and three probiotic strains with sow categories. The zootechnical potassium diformate entry 4d800 is a sow-only entry, and the probiotic entries for Saccharomyces cerevisiae CNCM I-4407 (4b1702) and Bacillus subtilis DSM 25841 (4b1902) state a benefit in suckling piglets. Vitamin A for sows is capped at 12 000 IU/kg. NRC (2012) gestation requirements, tabulated by Jeong and colleagues (2019), are 4 000 IU vitamin A, 800 IU vitamin D3 and 44 IU vitamin E per kg diet.
In one trial, L-carnitine at 125 mg per sow per day in gestation and 250 mg in lactation gave larger, heavier litters and higher milk yield on days 11 and 18 (Ramanau and colleagues, Journal of Nutrition, 2004). Across 8 trials and 992 sows, a xylanase-based NSP enzyme in lactation cut sow body weight loss by about 3 kg and raised dry matter, organic matter and energy digestibility by 3.4, 3.9 and 4.2 % (Cozannet and colleagues, Journal of Animal Science, 2018). A survey of 37 US nutritionists (72 % of US sows) found vitamin levels well above NRC 2012 (Faccin and colleagues, 2023). In the US, bacitracin methylene disalicylate carries a sow claim at 250 g/ton from 14 days before to 21 days after farrowing (21 CFR 558.76).
Pig Feed Additives by Production Problem#
Pig feed additives address six production problems: post-weaning diarrhoea, gut health, heat stress, slurry ammonia, feed efficiency and mycotoxins. The table sets each problem against what the EU acts allow and one pig-specific fact.
| Problem | What the EU acts allow | Pig fact | Page |
|---|---|---|---|
| Post-weaning diarrhoea | weaned-piglet entries in programme rows 2 to 6; no prophylactic antimicrobial medicated feed | most frequent within 2 weeks after weaning; ETEC with F4 (K88) or F18 adhesins | Post-weaning diarrhoea in piglets |
| Gut health | 4b gut flora stabilisers | Bacillus subtilis effects strain-dependent (29 studies) | Gut health in livestock |
| Heat stress | no EU heat-stress authorisation | none stated in any act | Heat stress additives |
| Slurry ammonia | benzoic acid 4d210 urinary pH claim (pigs for fattening, sows) | no 4c ammonia claim | Ammonia and odour reduction through feed |
| Feed efficiency | phytase, NSP enzymes | US growth and feed-efficiency claims (divergence table) | Feed additives that improve feed conversion ratio |
| Mycotoxins | binder and deactivator entries | intake -18 %, gain -21 % in growing pigs; DON guidance 0.9 mg/kg until 2027-06-30, 0.7 mg/kg from 2027-07-01; ZEN 0.1 mg/kg piglets and gilts, 0.25 mg/kg sows and fattening pigs | Mycotoxin binders |
Heat stress has no EU feed route: functional group 4e (Implementing Regulation (EU) 2019/962) holds two entries and neither concerns heat stress. Slurry ammonia has no 4c claim either, since 4c holds only 3-NOP (4c1); the legal feed route is the urinary pH decrease written into the benzoic acid entry. Post-weaning diarrhoea, described by Rhouma and colleagues (Acta Veterinaria Scandinavica, 2017), is addressed through weaned-piglet entries whose acts state performance or gut flora effects, never a disease outcome.
The mycotoxin figures come from the meta-analysis by Andretta and colleagues (Animal, 2012), which pooled 85 articles and 13,196 pigs; deoxynivalenol alone cut intake and gain by 26 % each. From 1 July 2027, the zearalenone values of Recommendation (EU) 2026/1801 name "piglets and pigs for reproduction" and "sows, boars, fattening pigs".
Pig-Specific Regulation: Maximum Contents, Withdrawal and Species Authorisations#
Pig feed rules differ most between the EU and the US on zinc, copper and growth-claim drugs: the EU caps total zinc and copper in complete feed and allows no antibiotic as a feed additive, while the US sets no federal zinc maximum and still approves growth claims for swine feed drugs such as narasin and carbadox.
EU maximum contents for zinc, copper and vitamins in pig feed#
Implementing Regulation (EU) 2016/1095 caps total zinc at 150 mg/kg complete feed (12 % moisture) for piglets and sows and 120 mg/kg for other pigs, and Implementing Regulation (EU) 2018/1039 caps copper at 150, 100 and 25 mg/kg by age. Both are totals: once zinc or copper is added as an additive, the basal content of the feed counts, and every zinc source counts, including potentiated zinc oxide. For the zinc entries of 2016/1095, such as zinc oxide 3b603, the printed expiry is 2026-07-27; the EU Register records a renewal application and still lists the entry pending the Commission decision (Article 14 of Regulation (EC) No 1831/2003). The copper entries 3b401 to 3b405 run to 2028-08-13 and may not be used in water for drinking (Art. 2). The table gives the pig maxima per kg complete feed (12 % moisture).
| Nutrient | Pig category (as in the act) | Maximum | Act and status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Zinc | piglets, sows / other pigs | 150 / 120 mg (total) | 2016/1095; printed expiry 2026-07-27; the EU Register records a renewal application and still lists the entry pending the Commission decision (Article 14 of Regulation (EC) No 1831/2003) |
| Copper | suckling and weaned piglets up to 4 weeks after weaning / weeks 5 to 8 after weaning / other pigs | 150 / 100 / 25 mg (total) | 2018/1039, to 2028-08-13 |
| Vitamin A | piglets / pigs for fattening / sows | 16 000 / 6 500 / 12 000 IU | 2015/724; printed expiry 2025-05-26; the EU Register records a renewal application and still lists the entry pending the Commission decision (Article 14 of Regulation (EC) No 1831/2003) |
| Vitamin D3 | pigs / milk replacers for piglets | 2 000 / 10 000 IU | 2017/1492, printed expiry 2027-09-11 |
| 25-OH-D3 | pigs | 0.050 mg | 2024/1070, to 2034-05-05 |
Vitamin A is capped as the total of all forms (Implementing Regulation (EU) 2015/724), and 25-hydroxyvitamin D3 is capped separately from vitamin D3, so a sow diet carries one limit for each. Recital 8 of 2018/1039 signals a possible future copper maximum of 25 mg/kg for piglets directly after weaning. Maximum trace element contents in feed differ by species, and the values for other species are compared under maximum trace element contents in feed.
US medicated feed: growth claims, VFD and withdrawal periods#
In the US, antimicrobials that are not medically important keep over-the-counter growth or feed-efficiency claims in swine feed, among them narasin (21 CFR 558.363), bambermycins (558.95), bacitracin methylene disalicylate (558.76) and bacitracin zinc (558.78). A Type C narasin swine feed expires after 8 weeks, and narasin is never combined with tiamulin. Carbadox (21 CFR 558.115) adds gain and feed-efficiency claims, not for breeding swine.
Medically important antimicrobials for swine, such as tylosin (21 CFR 558.625) and chlortetracycline (558.128), are Veterinary Feed Directive drugs, and their therapeutic levels belong to the veterinary order, not to a feed programme. Tiamulin (21 CFR 558.612) carries a withdrawal period of 2 or 7 days depending on the level fed.
Ractopamine has no withdrawal period on the Paylean label (Elanco US Inc., NADA 140-863), with tolerances of 0.15 ppm in liver and 0.05 ppm in muscle (21 CFR 556.570), while carbadox requires 42 days. A feed mill needs a medicated feed mill licence to make Type B or Type C feeds from Category II Type A articles (21 CFR 558.4). The order and record rules for drugs that need a Veterinary Feed Directive order sit in 21 CFR 558.6.
Growth-claim drugs and zinc oxide: where EU and US pig rules diverge#
Five substances used for growth in US pig feed have no EU feed route, ractopamine, carbadox, bacitracin, bambermycins and narasin for pigs, and pharmacological zinc oxide left EU pig diets when Member States withdrew the veterinary medicines by June 2022. The Commission decision of 26 June 2017 (EMEA/V/A/118) withdrew oral zinc oxide veterinary medicines for food-producing species, with a national deferral of up to 5 years. The table sets each US use against its EU status.
| # | Substance or practice | US section and swine use | US withdrawal or label | EU status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Antibiotic growth promoters | growth claims of medically important drugs removed (GFI #213) | n/a | not authorisable (Art. 5(4)); deleted from 1 January 2006 (Art. 11(2), Regulation (EC) No 1831/2003) |
| 2 | Narasin | 558.363: 13.6 to 27.2 g/ton gain; 18.1 to 27.2 g/ton gain and feed efficiency; growing-finishing, not breeding | never with tiamulin; Type C feed expires after 8 weeks | chickens for fattening only (51765, Implementing Regulation (EU) 2026/1860) |
| 3 | Bacitracin | 558.76: 10 to 30 g/ton; 558.78: 10 to 50 g/ton | none stated | bacitracin zinc deleted from 1 January 1999 (Council Regulation (EC) No 2821/98) |
| 4 | Bambermycin | 558.95: 2 g/ton gain; 2 to 4 g/ton feed efficiency | none stated | deleted from 1 January 2006 (Art. 11(2), Regulation (EC) No 1831/2003) |
| 5 | Ractopamine | 558.500: 4.5 to 9.0 g/ton, finishing swine of at least 150 lb, last 45 to 90 lb, at least 16 % CP | no withdrawal (Paylean label); warning amended 16 April 2026 (91 FR 20346) | prohibited, Council Directive 96/22/EC Art. 2 and 3(a); no register entry |
| 6 | Carbadox | 558.115: 10 to 25 g/ton gain and feed efficiency | 42 days; not for breeding swine; NADA withdrawal proposed 7 November 2023 (88 FR 76756), not finalised | withdrawn by Commission Regulation (EC) No 2788/98, from 1 January 1999 |
| 7 | Pharmacological zinc oxide in piglet diets | no federal zinc maximum; K-State 2,000 to 3,000 ppm up to 25 lb (recommendation) | n/a | veterinary medicines withdrawn (decision of 26 June 2017, deferral to June 2022); feed total 150 mg/kg |
| 8 | Growth-promoting copper in pig diets | K-State 125 to 250 ppm for the rest of the nursery (recommendation) | n/a | total 25 mg/kg for other pigs |
Zinc oxide stays an EU feed additive (3b603) within the zinc total; only the veterinary medicine route closed, on a negative benefit-risk balance from environmental zinc accumulation. In US practice, the NRC (2012) maximum tolerable dietary zinc of 1,000 ppm, cited in K-State guidance, is exceeded short-term after weaning.
Antimicrobial use through feed in the EU now runs only through medicated feed under Regulation (EU) 2019/4, with its prophylaxis ban, never through a feed additive entry. EU and US rules for medicated feed, including US Type A, B and C medicated articles, are compared side by side.
Dose Basis: EU Legal Limits, US Approved Levels and Trial Doses#
Every pig feed dose carries one of four bases that are never interchangeable: an EU legal minimum, an EU legal maximum, a US approved level under 21 CFR 558, or a named recommendation or trial. The four bases are listed below with one example each.
- EU legal minimum: the content below which the authorisation does not apply, never an optimum; 6-phytase 4a1640 carries 500 FTU/kg for porcine species other than weaned piglets and pigs for fattening.
- EU legal maximum: a total ceiling that includes the basal diet; vitamin D3 is capped at 2 000 IU/kg for pigs (Implementing Regulation (EU) 2017/1492).
- US approved level: a g/ton range written into a 21 CFR 558 section; bambermycins at 2 to 4 g/ton for feed efficiency (21 CFR 558.95).
- Named recommendation or trial: a figure tied to one source; K-State gives 2,000 to 3,000 ppm zinc in initial nursery diets up to 25 lb, a recommendation and not a legal limit.
A g/ton level is quoted as written in its 21 CFR section and is not converted to mg/kg. The US pharmacological zinc practice sits far above the EU zinc total for piglets, so it never transfers to an EU diet; the K-State zinc requirement of 50 to 110 ppm is a nutrient requirement, not a legal value.
Sourcing Checklist for Pig Feed Additives#
Source a pig feed additive in seven checks, from the EU identification number and pig category on the label to the certificate the feed mill needs.
- Match the identification number and pig category on the label to the act, for example 4b1705 with its separate minima for suckling piglets, weaned piglets and pigs for fattening, and sows.
- Check that a zootechnical entry names the seller's company as holder, because category 4 entries are holder-bound.
- Add the basal zinc and copper of the diet before comparing with the EU total.
- Read the acid label rule: simultaneous use of different organic acids or their salts is contraindicated where one is used at or near the maximum, and 4d210 is not used with other benzoic acid or benzoate sources.
- Confirm the 21 CFR 558 section and the medicated feed mill licence category for US feeds.
- Ask for pelleting and storage stability data for enzymes and probiotics.
- Ask for FAMI-QS or GMP+ certification and the certificate of analysis for each lot.
A quote request that names the identification number, pig category and form makes offers comparable.
Related Questions on Swine Feed Additives#
Swine feed additives follow the same legal frame as every other feed additive, which exists to improve the feed, the animal's performance or welfare, or the environmental effect of production. The functions listed in Article 5(3) of Regulation (EC) No 1831/2003, and what feed additives are and how they are authorised, apply to pigs as to every species.
Where do feed mills buy swine feed additives?#
Feed mills and premixers buy swine feed additives from manufacturers, premixers and distributors, and the EU label carries the identification number and, for zootechnical additives, the holder. The holder named in an entry such as 4a1640 is the authorisation holder; the product may reach the mill through a distributor or a premix.
Is there a best swine feed additive?#
No: the right additive depends on the phase, the problem and the market, because EU and US rules allow different tools for the same pig category. Pharmacological zinc is legal US nursery practice but sits above the EU total, and ractopamine is approved for US finishing swine under 21 CFR 558.500 while Council Directive 96/22/EC prohibits it for food animals in the EU.