Yannig Le Treut

Graduated as a Doctor in Veterinary Medicine in 1984 (Nantes, France), Yannig Le Treut started working as a private vet in Brittany mainly involved in dairy cows but also equine medicine. In 1987 he entered a local cooperative as a vet, being responsible for the prevention sanitary program for all species (swine, dairy cows and beef), after 3 years he entered a premix company in Normandy, doing the swine nutrition but also covering the swine genetic program. In 1993 he became the General Manager of a swine producer association in Brittany: Agralco was producing 620 000 slaughtered pigs a year, operating 3 feed mills and having shares in one of the most important slaughtering house (Socopa Evron). In 1999, Yannig Le Treut joined UCCAB as responsible of the swine sector: UCAAB was the nutrition division of UNCAA covering almost 25% of the premix market in France (5 000 000 mt feed equivalent). In 2004 he became the General Manager of Inzo (former Ucaab) one of the leading Animal Nutrition company in France: Inzo’s market shares was at that time over 37% of the French swine premix market, dealing with all the most important feed mills in France but also in Spain and Hungary. In mid-2005 Le Treut was hired by Lallemand Animal Nutrition as category manager, doing the technical support of the Monogastric species (poultry and swine, Aquaculture and Equine). Le Treut, specialized in Animal Nutrition initiated and followed a significant number of research projects covering all the aforementioned species including the Horse and published numerous paper in different peer Journal and international congresses. In 2012 Le Treut was appointed as GM of Lallemand Animal Nutrition worldwide. He is currently still leading the Lallemand Animal Nutrition group as CEO and President.

Increased litter size is now a reality for the modern genetic lines we operate and this has a very positive effect on the economy of the farm. But along with an increased number of piglets at birth, we have to face some important challenges like the lactating capacities of that hyperprolific sow, the heterogeneity of the piglet weight at birth and their reduced vitality… And also some deviations of the management regarding cross-fostering. Some issues that we can easily find today in our farms compared to the initial 2000s are increased neonatal diarrhea, more immature and less vital piglets at birth, reduced colostrum intake… Parameters that are all leading to increased pre-weaning mortality.

The relationship between farrowing quality and around farrowing pathologies are now clear and well-accepted: in order to keep a high standard of sow wellbeing and productivity, it is essential to provide them, through the diet, with elements that keep a good intestinal comfort and prevent dysbiosis. Around farrowing time, sows are under a huge amount of stress. On one hand, they are under a big hormonal change in preparation for the farrowing process itself. On the other, the size of the fetuses increases the intra-abdominal pressure. The outcome of this process is a slowdown of the intestinal transit, increased retention time, formation of harder and dryer feces and consequently over-multiplication of a series of bacteria in the intestine. Then the sow enters into a vicious circle in which the toxins released by those Gram-negative bacteria enter into the bloodstream, negatively impacting milk production set-up and the farrowing process itself.

Saccharomyces cerevisiae boulardii CNCM I-1079 has a strong scientific background both in human medicine and swine nutrition. In swine, its positive effect regulating the intestinal transit and reducing constipation, and its consequences, was the first benefit that was observed.

Today, with the application of Metagenomics techniques, we have been able to confirm our previous hypothesis about shaping the sow’s intestinal microbiota with the specific live yeast. The main message we get is that sows which are supplemented with the Boulardii strain, show a much more stable fecal microbiota around farrowing.

How this effect is translated into a performance of hyper prolific sows? In a recent trial carried out with Danbred genetics in Spain, we got 2 main learnings with the application of the probiotic:

• The improvement of the expected productive parameters is there or even higher.
• Even though both programs work well, it is worthy to apply the yeast in both gestation and lactation as compared to a double dose only in lactation.