Evonik and Dr. Eckel Animal Nutrition have entered into a partnership to enable Evonik's Animal Nutrition business line to expand its product portfolio in the Gut Health Solutions area to include the phytogenics product class. Evonik plans to launch a first product from the partnership with Dr. Eckel in Europe in the first quarter of 2023.

Phytogenics are plant-based feed ingredients which play an important role in alternative solutions to antibiotic use in livestock farming. The use of antibiotic growth promoters in animal feed has been banned in the European Union since 2006.

"It often needs complex solutions to maintain health and productivity in the barn without antibiotics," says Gaetano Blanda, head of the Animal Nutrition business line at Evonik. “In combination with our existing Gut Health Solutions, phytogenics will help farmers achieve this goal.”

Evonik Gut Health Solutions focus primarily on stabilizing the gut health of animals through probiotics such as Ecobiol, Fecinor, and GutCare. The partnership with Dr. Eckel, one of the most experienced and innovative suppliers in the field of phytogenics, will allow Evonik to address further animal health issues with selected products that expand Evonik’s portfolio.

 “As a dynamic company with a high pace in product development, we are able to create innovations in a comparatively short period of time,” says Dr. Antje Eckel, founder of Dr. Eckel Animal Nutrition. “With a strong partner like Evonik, we can allow selected products to access a much wider market in a short time. We are therefore very happy that together with Evonik we can open up new target groups and customers.”

Dr. Eckel Animal Nutrition is a family-run company with international operations.