Will using Lactobacillus buchneri cause a reduction in DM intake?

For many years it has been said that high acetate levels in silage lead to reduced intakes, however, the evidence for this is extremely controversial with evidence pointing both ways. It may be that it is other fermentation end products that we don’t measure but are also being produced in a poor, high acetic silage that could be the issue rather than acetate itself. (Human beings are not put off by high levels of acetate – we put it on our chips as vinegar).

A number of researchers have suggested that acetate levels above 5% DM could be an issue but such levels are not seen very often, even in a buchneri treated silage. On the whole there seems to be little evidence for buchneri treated silages affecting animal performance, positively or negatively.