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Potential Cost and Environmental Impact of Feeding High-Oil Corn to Poultry in Brazil

E. Kebreab^*, J. France^*, R. H. Phipps and S. Leeson^*

^* Centre for Nutrition Modelling, Department of Animal and Poultry Science, University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario N1G 2W1, Canada
School of Agriculture, Policy and Development, University of Reading, Earley Gate, Reading RG6 6AR, United Kingdom

Correspondence: E. Kebreab, E-mail: ekebreab{at}uoguelph.ca

The objective of the study was to evaluate the cost and environmental impact of replacing traditional corn, which is the main ingredient in poultry diets, with a high-oil corn (HOC) variety. Using linear programming, diets were formulated with either traditional corn or HOC. The results indicate that HOC-based diets cost up to $11.38/tonne less than traditional corn-based diets. Using HOC rather than traditional corn in diets has the potential to reduce the annual nitrogen excreted to the environment from broilers and broiler breeders in Brazil by 6.44 Mtonnes. In addition, there is the potential to reduce P excretion by 4.52 Mtonnes/yr, because the need to supplement diets with inorganic P sources, such as dicalcium phosphate, is much lower with HOC-based diets. We estimate that 28.5 Mtonnes of dicalcium phosphate can be saved annually using HOC in Brazilian poultry diets. The literature suggests that replacing traditional corn with HOC does not affect bird metabolism, while positive impacts on growth rate have been recorded. Therefore, substituting traditional corn with HOC has cost and environmental benefits for the Brazilian poultry industry without compromising productivity.

Key Words: broiler • high-oil corn • environmental pollution