Acceptable Alternative Growth Promoters for Organic Farm Animal Production

Organic farming practitioners are paving their path to grab the space of retail store shelves with the growing trend of various negative consequences of antibiotic and chemical residue in food and the scariness of antibiotic resistance. To cope with the current demand of food and to survive in the current food market, farmers are also desperately looking for guidance and regulation for improving the growth of products, particularly prevention of diseases and promotion of growth of farm animals such as poultry, pig, and cattle. As antibiotics or many other synthetic chemicals are not allowed for use in the organic farming scheme according to the rules regulatory bodies, natural and organic alternatives for growth promotion and control of diseases are the only apparent options. Bacteria or microbes and their derivatives, and plant-derived products are the potential alternatives for promoting growth and improving the health condition of farm animals and to control diseases. But the mechanism of action and the best effectiveness of these alternatives are not confirmed yet. In this chapter, we aim to discuss the urgency about the need of alternative growth promoters, potential alternatives, and their fate in food animal farming.