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DCA Publikationer A New Concept for Practical Feed Evaluation Systems DJF rapport Husdyrbrug, nr. 79, 2007 Af Sigurd Boisen, Dept. of Animal Health, Welfare and Nutrition, Faculty of Agricultural Sciences  Feed quality is of significant importance in husbandry animal production. This is due to the influence on animal health and welfare as well as the sustainability of the production according to environmental influences and production economy. The basic principles for feed evaluation have developed during the last century. However, feed evaluation in most countries is still dominated by classical principles and either based on digestible, metabolizable or net energy, respectively. The new Danish feed evaluation system for pigs arises on new principles where the feed value is based on the potential physiologically available energy related directly to the nutrient composition of the feed itself and described by modern analysis methods. Feed evaluation in the new system is a step-wise process in which the actual value of single feedstuffs depends on its contribution to the complete diet and, moreover, the value of the diet depends on its actual use in the production according to the requirements and feed intake of the animals. |