Zoetis offers ENGAIN® 9 (ractopamine hydrochloride), which is approved for: increased rate of weight gain; improved feed efficiency; and increased carcass leanness in finishing swine weighing not less than 150 pounds and fed a complete ration containing at least 16% crude protein for the last 45 to 90 pounds of gain prior to slaughter.
Ractopamine hydrochloride has been approved in finishing swine diets since 1999, and this tool has consistently shown to increase growth rates and feed efficiency by 10% to 15%.1 ENGAIN 9 has demonstrated similar improvements in a 220-pig study relative to untreated controls:2
- Barrows: 19% improvement in average daily gain
- Pigs treated with ENGAIN: 2.93 pounds per day
- Untreated controls: 2.47 pounds per day
- Gilts: 20% improvement in average daily gain
- Pigs treated with ENGAIN 9: 2.65 pounds per day
- Nontreated controls: 2.20 pounds per day
ENGAIN 9 has also shown to deliver advantages for packers, as shown by the results from that same study.1
- Barrow improvements relative to nontreated controls:2
- 11.9% improvement in longissimus muscle area
- 8.6% improvement loin depth
- 1.7% improvement in boneless cutting yields
- Gilt improvements relative to non-treated controls:2
- 7.7% improvement in longissimus muscle area
- 6.4% improvement loin depth
- 2.2% improvement in boneless cutting yields
ENGAIN 9 is backed by Zoetis, which provides value-added feed assays. This allows producers and feed mills to submit feed samples to Zoetis, helping assure proper feed mixing procedures are followed.
Zoetis also educates food regulators, buyers and retailers on the safety of ractopamine hydrochloride and the positive impact this tool continues to make on the world’s pork supply.