Porcine feed efficiency (FE)-associated intestinal microbiota and physiological traits: finding consistent cross-locational biomarkers for feed efficiency

Achieving optimal feed efficiency (FE) is important in pig production for both economic and environmental reasons. The intestinal microbiota contributes to nutrient utilization, and previous research from our group has identified FE-associated taxa within the intestinal microbiota of growing pigs. The present study aimed to investigate whether FE-associated enterotypes and selected FE-associated physiological traits in pigs were consistent across the Republic of Ireland [two batches of pigs; ROI1 (medium health) and ROI2 (high health)], Northern Ireland (NI), and Austria (AT), where differences in genetic, dietary and management factors were minimized.