TRENDS ▶▶▶
decade. One of the five ambitions, which was discussed dur- ing the recent livestreamed FEFAC XXIX Congress, is a de- forestation-free soy supply chain. Michael Scannell, Deputy Director General, DG AGRI, EU Commission, noted that “con- sumers no longer accept soy imports that lead to deforesta- tion; they want this guarantee. Therefore we need fully trace- able systems and certification of these imports.” Global companies such as Cargill are already moving fast on this front. As reported in its 2020 mid-year Progress Report, Cargill has already estimated how much of its contracted soybeans in Brazil are grown on land that’s free of deforestation or land conversion. Cargill has also mapped its Brazil supply chain, expanded direct engagement with Brazilian farmers and con- tinues to grow its Sustainably Sourced and Supplied (Triple S) certification programme in Brazil and Paraguay.
The one trend that’s expected to most impact the global ani- mal feed indus- try in 2021 is sustainability.
Sustainability certification Sustainability is also being recognised by feed certification firms such as GMP+ International. Its GMP+ Feed Certification scheme guarantees safety, reliability, quality and sustainabili- ty, and the company is preparing a separate standard for European sourcing. “The demand for this is mainly coming from feed companies based in Germany and the Nether- lands,” says Managing Director Johan den Hartog. “We expect to have that ready in the next six months. We will also investi- gate whether there is a possibility to develop a standard re- lating to the carbon footprint of particular ingredients, but that will take longer to create.” GMP+ International will also be paying more attention to feed biosecurity (e.g. Africa Swine Fever) as part of the scope of feed safety.
US outlook Sustainability is also affecting the US feed industry. Leah Wilkinson, Vice President of Public Policy and Education at the American Feed Industry Association (AFIA), reports that “we are currently working on defining sustainability and how
to apply that definition across the different animal sectors.” In addition, the Association of American Feed Control Officials recently expanded animal species able to be fed dried black soldier fly larvae in salmon and poultry feed, and its use is being expanded into pigs as well. On other fronts, AFIA is working with the International Feed Industry Federation to speed up and harmonise the feed ingredient approval pro- cess on a global level. This includes things like being able to use a single scientific study for application in multiple coun- tries to get approval of a particular novel ingredient. Continu- ing to grow export markets is also a priority for the AFIA, and the organisation hopes to make major progress in 2021 in ne- gotiation/implementation of US trade agreements with Chi- na, Japan, the UK and potentially the EU. US feed makers ex- port poultry, dairy cattle and pig feed and feed ingredients and technologies to these markets, and Wilkinson adds that pet food exports to China have been growing strongly. “Ex- ports are critical to the development of the feed industry here, and we also need further development on the ‘ease of doing business’ front,” she explains. “This means more rural broadband internet and other types of infrastructure.”
Additives In the additive sector, again tied to sustainability, Australia’s Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisa- tion (CSIRO) has developed an additive called ‘Future Feed’ that’s currently being commercialised. It’s made from the sea- weed Asparagopsis, which Rowland says has been shown to reduce methane emissions in beef and dairy cattle by more than 80 per cent in research trials in Australia and the US. As- paragopsis also contains many micronutrients and has a pro- biotic effect. In a new report by Reportlinker on the future of feed additives, the authors note that growing demand for meat is expected to boost demand for additives. “Poultry feed additives have one of the largest shares in the global feed ad- ditives market, owing to the heavy demand for poultry meat, augmented by the consumption of processed poultry in countries such as the United States, China, India, Russia, Brazil, Japan and Australia.” For his part, Guy Soreq, CEO and founder of additives firm Glowlit, notes that in 2019, the prices of different feed addi- tives rose and fell at different times. “In 2020, however, there was a perfect storm as everything spiked at once, placing a massive amount of stress on the industry,” he says. “We also saw that feed additive prices rose far more quickly than they fell, stemming from a common market phenomenon in which sellers are apprehensive about passing on lower prices during a market recovery.” In 2021, Soreq expects to see continued adoption of digital tools in the feed industry. “Covid-19 rapid- ly accelerated the digitalisation of trading houses and farms, and I’m certain that this will only continue to grow,” he says, “with the realisation that with the growth of data accessibility comes business growth.”
8 ▶ ALL ABOUT FEED | Volume 28, No. 10, 2020
PHOTO: DREAMSTIME
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