Editorial: Natural compounds/products and livestock productivity: enhancing antioxidant levels, gut health, mitigating greenhouse gas emissions, and disease control

Growing concerns about antimicrobial resistance, drug residues in animal-derived foods, and the environmental consequences of conventional livestock production have prompted a global shift toward natural alternatives that are safe, multifunctional, and sustainable. Among these, plant-derived bio-actives, microbe-based products, and other natural compounds are emerging as valuable tools to enhance animal health, productivity, and resilience to disease. This shift is particularly relevant given the increasing need to phase out antibiotics as growth promoters and address the ecological pressures linked to intensive livestock systems. This Research Topic brings together 36 articles, comprising original articles, review and meta-analysis selected from 49 submissions, representing contributions from China (31 papers) and five other countries, Japan, Ethiopia, the United States, Korea, and Portugal. The papers span a wide range of livestock species, including ruminants (cattle, sheep, goats, yaks), monogastrics (broilers, layers, ducks, pigeons, geese), and pseudo-ruminants (donkeys), reflecting a global effort to explore natural solutions across diverse production systems.