Effects of Dietary Interventions on Farm Animal Welfare and Production

Dear Colleagues,

Feed and food production face issues related to animal welfare and sustainability. If, on one side, livestock-based food production is changing to maintain animal well-being, climate change is shifting dietary composition for animal production. Among the methods to improve animal welfare, a properly processed, with adequate nutrient levels, and non-contaminated diet will support gut function, decreasing locomotion problems caused by nutrient dysbalance as well as dysbiosis. Besides this, food-feed competition requires the selection of alternative nutrients, which should be produced with net-zero emissions. However, this change probably will demand feed additives to improve digestibility, e.g., enzymes, and should allow efficient growth of the livestock.

This Topic aims to provide the most up-to-date information about recent developments in livestock feeding to improve animal welfare without a negative impact on the environment. It covers a wide range of areas, highlighting the following main topics:

• Alternative feed ingredients;
• Feed processing;
• Feed additives;
• Gut health promotors;
• Circularity;
• Greenhouse gas emissions;
• CO₂ footprint.

Dr. Regiane Rodrigues Dos Santos
Dr. Francesc Molist
Topic Editors