~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Second FAO Electronic Conference on Tropical Feeds Livestock Feed Resources within Integrated Farming Systems ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Abstract of fourteenth paper, from P.L. Dominguez. Questions that might stimulate discussion on this topic include: 1. Can other countries confirm experiences with animal wastes, fish silage, sweet potato and citrus pulp for pigs? 2. Is it right to use or encourage to use slaughter waste given recent experiences in Europe with BSE (cp. DDT use in LDCs)? 3. Are there other suggestions for byproduct feeds in the Cuban system? 4. Should amino acid levels be adjusted to obtain extra live weight gain? What are the economics of this practice? 5. Fish waste represents a huge amount of potential protein source which is often wasted and create pollution. Acid silage is usually too expensive. Molasses-fish waste silage has been successful in various countries (eg.: Barbados, Cuba, Morocco, Philippines, Vietnam). What other sources of carbohydrates have been (or could be) used for making this silage? 6. Sweet potatoes are a good source of energy for pigs, but they need to be cooked. Is this not a constraint due to the energy cost it implies? 7. This paper shows that various alternative feeds give interesting biological results. What about economical results (we may accept lower biological performances if economical results are better!)? What are the reasons for so limited adoption of these alternative feeds ? ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ NEW RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT STRATEGY FOR A BETTER INTEGRATION OF PIG PRODUCTION IN THE FARMING SYSTEM IN CUBA P. L. Dominguez Swine Research Institute, PO Box 1, Punta Brava Havana 19200, Cuba E-mail: c/o FAO-CUB@field.fao.org ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ABSTRACT In Cuba, emphasis has been placed on a research and development strategy for pig production based on unconventional feeds. The collection of processed food waste from institutions (hospitals, schools and hotels), slaughter-houses, fish-processing plants and agriculture is systematically carried out. The total DM digestibility (77%) and precaecal digestibility (69%) of processed waste in pigs are slightly lower than those of cereals. However, for growing/ finishing pigs, processed waste can be used to substitute up to 50% of the dry matter of cereals with no effect on feed conversion. For pigs from 25 to 90 kg, a diet of 37% organic wastes, 33% sugarcane molasses and 30% concentrates gave acceptable results (ADG: 620 to 710 g/d; and feed conversion: 4.50 to 4.14) and the nutrient balance can be further improved by mineral-vitamin and essential amino-acid supplementation (live weight gains may be increased by more than 100 g/d). Systems for the preservation of animal slaughter and fish processing wastes, based on the use of inorganic acids or molasses, have been designed to produce protein paste. Protein digestibility is similar to that of soya bean meal and superior to that of meat meal and torula yeast, while N retention was higher than in other protein sources studied. When protein paste contributed some 26.5% of dietary protein, the results (ADG: 780 g/d; Feed conversion: 2.95) were satisfactory. However, when the level was increased to more than 50% of the protein in the diet, a decrease in average daily gain of pigs was observed (ADG: 700 g/d; Feed conversion: 3.33). Fish silage has been preserved with 30 ml/kg of sulphuric acid solution and could be satisfactorily used to supply up to 50 percent of the protein in this type of diet. A mixture of 10 per cent molasses and 10 per cent wheat bran, with 80 per cent ground inland fish, placed in a polyethylene bag with a water seal in order to obtain anaerobic conditions, has also been used. The pH was 3.9 with no pathogenic microorganisms in the fish silage. Animal performance was better (ADG: 740 g/d; FC: 2,94 versus 670g/d and 3.46) when fish silage replaced 40 per cent of the soya bean meal in a molasses diet. Cooked and mashed sweet potato has been used to totally replace maize for fattening pigs with a supplement of soya bean meal (ADG: 770 g/d and FC: 3.51 versus 770 g/d and 3.01). Substituting 0, 25 and 50% of soya bean meal with fresh foliage as the protein source in a sweet potato-soya bean diet showed that the high level of foliage worsened performance (ADG: 770, 690 and 640 g/d; FC: 3.51, 3.55 and 3.81 respectively). Citrus pulp silage can replace up to 40% of final molasses with better feed conversion (4.08 versus 4.54) and similar live weight gain (600 versus 680 g/d). Finally, the recycling of piggery waste is used for the production of biogas and the effluent from biodigesters is used to fertilize duckweed (Lemna) which can replace 20 percent of soya bean meal in a diet of sugarcane molasses with no adverse effects on pig performance (ADG: 630 v/s 640 g/d and FC: 4.58 v/s 4.57) . KEY WORDS: Pig feeding; unconventional feeds; processed food wastes; animal wastes; fish wastes; sweet potato; citrus pulp; duckweed ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ FAO ELECTRONIC CONFERENCE: LIVESTOCK FEED RESOURCES WITHIN INTEGRATED FARMING SYSTEMS ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ DISCLAIMER: Neither the conference organizers nor FAO accept any legal responsibility for either the contents of this message or any copyright laws that the person sending this electronic message may have violated. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ TO COMMENT: Unless you want to reply only to the person sending this information, please send your comments to the address: TFCONF2-L@MAILSERV.FAO.ORG or TFCONF2-ABS-L@MAILSERV.FAO.ORG ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~