MEDITERRAN

SALT — The Source of Life!
Salt, though simple and common, is one of the most vital nutrients in nature — essential for the survival and well-being of every living creature.

Composed of approximately 40% Sodium (Na) and 60% Chloride (Cl), salt provides the primary cations and anions of extracellular fluids, ensuring the proper exchange and distribution of water within the organism.

Salt is a crucial mineral in an animal’s diet, contributing to strong muscles and the proper functioning of the central nervous system. It is one of the few nutrients, along with water, for which animals have a natural appetite — meaning they instinctively regulate their intake based on their physiological needs. Salt helps maintain acid-base and fluid balance, supports healthy intestinal flora, and enhances digestion.

By providing both Sodium and Chloride, salt plays a key role in regulating body temperature, stimulating appetite, and promoting saliva production — essential for digesting roughage and stabilizing rumen pH. This helps protect animals against rumen acidosis. Additionally, adequate salt intake improves water and dry matter consumption, enhances appetite, supports milk production, and contributes to better growth, fertility, and overall health.

Animals require salt for optimal health and productivity. However, their daily salt requirements vary depending on species, age, breed, weight, and production stage, as well as external factors such as diet composition, environment, and weather conditions.

Since most plant-based feeds are naturally low in Sodium, animals grazing in pastures or housed in barns cannot meet their Sodium requirements through feed alone. Therefore, daily supplementation of Sodium and Chloride — in the form of common salt — is essential to ensure their nutritional needs are fully met.

• How can we ensure that every individual animal receives the right amount of salt to maintain good health and achieve high productivity levels?

  The Total Mixed Ration (TMR) is not always precise — it may vary daily and often cannot meet the specific salt requirements of every animal. Factors such as the type of roughage used, seasonal and environmental changes, or variations in feed composition all affect the amount of salt an animal truly needs.

  So how can we accurately determine salt needs when feeds differ in their salt content, or when environmental temperatures rise or fall?

  Nature has given animals a remarkable instinct — the ability to seek salt when they need it. However, in most modern feeding systems, animals cannot easily find natural salt sources. While salt is often added to the daily ration, it is crucial that animals also have free access to salt so they can meet their individual needs according to their own will and instinct.

  To fulfill this natural requirement safely and efficiently, S.I.N. HELLAS provides the perfect solution:
  SALT LICKING BLOCKS — a free-access, free-choice salt supply that allows animals to consume exactly the amount they need, when they need it.

  Because salt licking blocks are offered in solid form, there is no risk of waste, overconsumption, or deficiency. Animals instinctively regulate their intake, ensuring a balanced and efficient salt supply.

  S.I.N. HELLAS Salt Licking Blocks not only meet the animal’s individual salt requirements but also supplement essential trace elements, minerals, and vitamins, supporting optimal health and performance.

  Since the need for salt is constant throughout an animal’s life, a specially selected licking block from the wide range of S.I.N. HELLAS products should always be available — whether animals are in barns or out on pasture. Ensuring continuous access to licking blocks encourages natural behavior and guarantees proper salt intake at all times.

  The MEDITERRAN Licking Block is the ideal supplement to the daily ration. It is made from high-quality, pure Natural Mediterranean Sea Salt, naturally iodized and sun-dried, with up to 99.9% purity in Sodium Chloride, providing 39–40% Sodium. Suitable for all types of livestock, it is an entirely natural product, making it perfect even for organic (bio) farming.