A Kenyan dairy farmer, Anastacia Njung’e of Murang’a, sought advice on using feed additives to combat reduced milk production amidst a 50 percent increase in livestock feed prices over the past two years. A veterinary surgeon recommends feed additives as a cost-effective solution to improve animal productivity.

• Feed additives can improve nutritional value, feed utilization, and livestock productivity while reducing production costs, which is crucial as feeds are the single most costly input in farming.
• Dr. Othieno, a veterinary surgeon and head of communications at the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) Kenya, explains that common additives include probiotics, prebiotics, enzymes, antioxidants, emulsifiers, growth promoters, and preservatives.
• While growth promoters have been banned in some countries due to their contribution to antimicrobial resistance, probiotics (such as Lactobacillus) and prebiotics are gaining importance for improving digestion and immunity.