The ECO-FCE project is funded by the European Union Seventh Framework
Programme (FP7 2007/2013) under grant agreement No. 311794.
17 partners from 9 countries
Dr Niamh O’Connell, Queens University Belfast, Northern Ireland
- coordinator
Dr Elizabeth Magowan, Agri-Food and Bioscience Institute, Northern Ireland
- deputy coordinator; leader WP1: knowledge, the ECO-FCE warehouse
Dr David Torrallardona Institute for Food Research and Technology, Spain
- WP2: feeding strategies
Dr Peadar Lawlor Teagasc, Ireland
- WP3: gut structure and function, microbiome
Prof Klaus Wimmers Leibniz Institute for Farm Animal Biology, Germany
-WP4: genomics
Prof Just Jensen Aarhus University, Denmark
-WP5: models
Mr Wolfram Allinger RTD services, Austria
-WP6: dissemination
The ECO-FCE project is funded by the European Union Seventh Framework
Programme (FP7 2007/2013) under grant agreement No. 311794.
Improve the feed use efficiency and reduce the
ecological impact of pigs and chickens
♦ Use of current knowledge
♦ Investigating new feeding strategies
♦ Identification of genetic factors for improved feed efficiency
♦ Development of new statistical models to select for improved feed
efficiency
♦ Advancing the understanding of common factors attributable to high
and low feed efficiency potential
The ECO-FCE project is funded by the European Union Seventh Framework
Programme (FP7 2007/2013) under grant agreement No. 311794.
Outcomes from search of current knowledge
♦ A vast array of knowledge exists BUT
♦ The quality of this information is highly variable AND
♦ The consistency of information across publications is low
♦ This makes the full utilisation of this knowledge impossible to
achieve and meta analysis on a large scale very difficult
♦ A system to improve the consistency of M&M information
in peer review papers, (Arrive guidelines (NC3R’s))
The ECO-FCE project is funded by the European Union Seventh Framework
Programme (FP7 2007/2013) under grant agreement No. 311794.
Outcomes from feeding systems
♦ Nutritional conditioning of broilers has potential to improve early
life performance of birds and reduce P excretion
♦ In Ovo symbiotic in chickens and inoculation early in the pigs life
can have life long effects on gut microbiota
♦ Precision feeding of pigs in commercial penning can improve feed
efficiency, especially of males
The ECO-FCE project is funded by the European Union Seventh Framework
Programme (FP7 2007/2013) under grant agreement No. 311794.
Outcomes from feeding systems
♦ In vitro tests for enzyme efficacy show promise in their ability to
assess the relative impact of enzymes on different raw materials.
♦ The efficacy of enzymes differs greatly depending on feed
ingredient, for examples
♦ Galactosidase in soya bean meal based diets - promising
♦ Xylanase/ß Glucanase in wheat DDGS/RSM based diets – no effects
♦ Protease in wheat DDGS/RSM based diets – no effects
The ECO-FCE project is funded by the European Union Seventh Framework
Programme (FP7 2007/2013) under grant agreement No. 311794.
Pigs/chicken - high vs low feed efficiency
Difference between
High and Low RFI?
Composition of low relative abundance taxa
Y/Y
Feeding Behaviour
Y/-
Mucosal Permeability (Jejunum)
Y/Y
Activation of the Jejunum immune response
Y/Y
Differentially expressed genes (DEGs)
Liver – 803/Duodenum – 62/172
Jejunum – 86/120
Hypothalamus – 78/The ECO-FCE project is funded by the European Union Seventh Framework
Programme (FP7 2007/2013) under grant agreement No. 311794.
Overview of QTL regions
Pigs
Chicken
Trait
FCR
Feed intake
Weight gain
Body weight (36days)
Body weight (46days)
Identified QTL
regions
10
6
2
5
4
novel markers and positional functional
candidate genes on chr. 1, 6, 19
Trait
Identified QTL
regions
FCR
Back fat
Percent lean
Days to 110 kg
Daily feed intake
Daily occupation time
Consumption rate
Daily feeder visits
Bv days to 110 kg
Bv FCR
12
12
8
11
10
9
8
5
7
16
ECO FCE developed an industry directed
panel of SNP markers for GS
The ECO-FCE project is funded by the European Union Seventh Framework
Programme (FP7 2007/2013) under grant agreement No. 311794.
8
Genetic Models
♦ Modelling confirmed that improved feed efficiency was
better achieved through selection for RFI than for FCR
♦ The Genomic Feature Model (GFBLUP), using information
from the project, resulted in it having a better predictive
ability than the standard GBLUP
The ECO-FCE project is funded by the European Union Seventh Framework
Programme (FP7 2007/2013) under grant agreement No. 311794.
Some key areas of Future potential
♦ More clarity is required on enzyme/ingredient
combinations which have impact
♦ impact of early life gut microbiota
♦ Genotype x Environment
♦ Integrating Multi layers of ‘Omics’ into breeding models
The ECO-FCE project is funded by the European Union Seventh Framework
Programme (FP7 2007/2013) under grant agreement No. 311794.
Discussion...
The ECO-FCE project is funded by the European Union Seventh Framework
Programme (FP7 2007/2013) under grant agreement No. 311794.