C4A is an acronym of Care4Animals, and is a play on the 4 fatty acids that are used in this unique product.

The biggest problem in intensive animal production are the pathogens in the gut severely curtailing the growth of young stock. This has previously been managed with antibiotics, but consumer pressure and now legislation is severely limiting this option. The problem is how to replace antibiotics with natural treatments that are effective and residue-free. C4A has emerged at the forefront of several novel products designed to answer this challenge.

 A secondary problem is that whilst the most effective of the short chain fatty acids for combatting pathogens is butyric acid, its very bad smell in the unprotected form precludes its practical use. Protecting the molecule with a coating can limit the odour to reasonably acceptable levels, but only esterification can take away the odour completely, whilst retaining full efficacy of butyric acid.