Performance and mineral status of laying hens fed diets with different levels of glyphosate

Concern has been raised about the potential influence of glyphosate on livestock health and performance due to its antimicrobial mineral-chelating properties. The present study investigated effects feeding diets amended with (as a commercial product, Glyphomax HL, or as pure isopropylamine salt, IPA) laying hens (layers). At age 22 weeks, total 320 Lohmann LSL-Lite layers started one four treatment diets: Control (CON), 20 mg glyphosate/kg HL (GM20), IPA (IPA20) 200 (IPA200). EU-defined maximum residue level (MRL) for several feed crops is mg/kg. were housed in 32 enriched cages 27 weeks. Glyphosate levels (mg/kg feed) analysed 0.03 CON, 19.3 GM20, 18.5 IPA20 191.7 IPA200. Using preselected contrasts, there no clear diet amendment average egg weight, mass, intake, conversion ratio rate lay, while post hoc contrasts suggested that concentrations above mg/kg may reduce lay by 0.9%-point. Mineral Mg, Ca, Mn, Fe, Cu Zn blood well indicators welfare measured plumage scoring novel object test not significantly affected treatment. serum (µg/L) 0.29 22.5 25.0 128.9 yolk white (ng/g) respectively 0.26 0.01 20.1 0.20 21.4 0.25 223.3 3.09 serum, reflected concentrations. degradation AMPA, followed same trend all compartments. In conclusion, adverse glyphosate-amended performance, mineral status even at approximately 10x higher than MRL soybeans other common (20 per kg feed). However, Moreover, exposed down produced eggs residues this pesticide.