Sales of antibiotics approved for use in food-producing animals dropped 33 percent between 2016-2017, and manufacturers have raced to fill the void with everything from exotic botanicals and oils to ingredients of days gone by.

The most common complaint of nutrition suppliers (additives mostly) is that they cannot get (easily) into large (mega) farms. It appears to them that such mega producers prefer to use simple nutrition programs without much in terms of added (modern) nutritional supplements. There are many reasons why such large operations prefer simple nutrition programs, and some are offered here for discussion.

Many alternative growth promoters show promise, but only under specific circumstances, experts say, and broad marketing claims may soon lead to further feed additive regulation.

With so many feed additives on the market and so little test data available, choosing an antibiotic growth promoter can be difficult. Testing various products on their own herds may be producers’ best option, experts say.

China’s Commerce Ministry said it has launched an anti-dumping investigation into methionine products imported from Singapore, Malaysia and Japan, according to reports. The investigation began April 10 and is expected to last a year.

The company is looking to expand in the U.S. as antibiotic usage lessens.

African swine fever remained a popular topic in March.

There is no additive, not of a medicinal nature, that can replace the role of antibiotics for therapeutic purposes. Sick animals requiring antibiotic treatment under veterinarian care should receive appropriate antibiotics at proper dosages to ensure their health and welfare. What happens to such animals raised under no-antibiotics-ever production is a matter that has to do with the marketing/commercial aspects of such business.

There are two basic methods of marketing nutritional supplements. Successful marketeers combine the best of both worlds, either in a legitimate strategy or in a flawed stratagem. It is up to us to our customers to work with trustworthy and knowledgeable people, but hard and fast earning in this business usually impedes such efforts.