Irish scientists advise pig farmers to grow rye for feed instead of barley.

Irish pig farmers can significantly reduce feed costs by replacing traditional grains—such as barley and wheat—with rye. This conclusion was reached by specialists from the Teagasc Pig Development Department, Ireland's national agency for agricultural and food development. According to Teagasc, the country's pig industry annually uses about 1.2 million tons of feed, a significant portion of which consists of grains: barley—480,000 tons, wheat—360,000 tons, and corn—120,000 tons. Recent studies have shown that rye can safely replace up to 60% of barley in the diet of finishing pigs without impairing weight gain, feed conversion, or consumption. "Our data show that rye can safely replace a significant portion of barley without harming production indicators," noted Dr. Peadar Lawlor, the project's lead researcher. Rye is traditionally used in Denmark, but its use in Ireland has been restrained due to concerns related to ergot toxins (sclerotia). Modern breeding programs have made it ...