View From Europe


By Colin Ley


Europe aims for greater feed base self-sufficiency Twelve months on from Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the fight for freedom continues. This is an enormous tribute to the resilience of the Ukrainian population and a significant mark of solidarity on behalf of European and US leaders. Sadly, however, many have lost their lives to this conflict over


the past year, leaving loved ones, friends, and colleagues to carry the deep scars of bereavement. No matter how determined the resistance from Ukraine may be, alongside European and US support, a heavy human price is being paid. Considering the economic impact of the war in such circumstances


is always something of an insult to the real horrors of what has unfolded since February 2022. It is essential, nevertheless, to maintain energy, food and feed supplies globally, not least to enable the battle to be maintained until peace is won. We have learned a lot over the past year about how much we had


come to depend on Ukrainian (and Russian) grain supplies to feed ourselves and Europe’s livestock. The challenge to keep going as a feed compound industry in the face of these lost supplies, however, has become part of the battle itself, intensifying Europe’s focus on securing greater self-sufficiency across all essential life items.


Food security The recently published European Parliament (EP) briefing paper: Feed autonomy - Closing the gaps in European food security, hit this issue head-on. “In addition to the human tragedy and the grave violation of


international norms brought about by the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Moscow’s war has created new challenges for global food chains and aggravated existing ones,” it is stated in the EP document. “Prior to the invasion, Ukraine and Russia, combined, represented


34% of global exports for wheat, 27% for barley, and 56 % for sunflower oil. More crucially for the feed sector, Ukraine exported 16% of all maize (11 million tonnes annually to the EU, accounting for 52% of the EU’s maize imports) and 61% of sunflower cake. Russia and Belarus were also among the world’s top exporters of fertilisers, which is an important input cost in the production of maize and other feed crops.” Mention is also made of how the ongoing hostilities have affected


the production and export of Ukrainian agricultural commodities, including those used in animal feedstuffs. Driven by the targeting of Ukrainian farming, storage, and exporting facilities, this has resulted in a substantial fall in agricultural output. It is estimated, in fact, that 22% of Ukrainian farmland has been removed from productive operation, a fact which will clearly impact the country’s 2023 harvest. It will also


PAGE 16 MARCH/APRIL 2023 FEED COMPOUNDER


threaten output potential in subsequent years. Add to this, the blockading of Ukrainian ports and the disruption of Black Sea shipping routes, and the impact of the past 12 months has clearly been severe, contributing to higher production and processing costs for animal feedstuffs. “The ongoing combat, diminished arable surface, and the human,


economic and material losses incurred, will continue to affect Ukraine’s production and exports,” continued the EP document. “Combined with Russia’s instrumentalisation of its food and fertiliser production, the availability and affordability of animal feedstuffs will continue to be affected by the war in Ukraine during 2023.” Not surprisingly, and arguably not before time, the EP’s suggested


solutions include a drive towards the development of greater domestic production alongside a more innovative diversification of feed sources. As with oil and gas, depending on imports for food and feed supplies, no longer looks such a clever option for political leaders to advocate. On the domestic production issue, the briefing document


stated: “Forages and roughages cover the majority of livestock feed consumption in the EU, with compound mixes covering the remaining 20% of demand, providing many of the dietary requirements absent in forages. The current protein deficit in the EU has led feed manufacturers to resort to imports, in particular soya. Encouraging the EU’s domestic production of plant-based proteins could reduce the dependence on imports, contribute to the EU livestock sector’s competitiveness and sustainability, and increase the EU’s resilience against future disruptions.” On diversifying feed sources, it added: “The EU livestock sector’s


sensitivity to price shocks is caused not only by a reliance on imports but also by a dependence on a limited number of crops for animal feed. Rising global demand for animal products, however, has encouraged research into new types of feedstuffs capable of meeting the nutrition and health requirements of the livestock and aquaculture sectors.” The briefing then went on to recount rising protein expectations


for insects, seaweed and microalgae, and microbes, all of which have been under development and/or a degree of commercial use for a few years, at least. The message now though, after the disruptions of the past 12 months, is that such solutions need to be given the opportunity to advance to meaningful levels of production in the very near future. As we saw with the 2020 development of Covid-19 vaccines, there are times when necessity drives invention forward at a far greater speed than would otherwise be possible.


Insects Insect production, in particular, could well benefit from an injection of market demand necessity, especially as regards getting consumers properly on board to the idea of farmed mealworms, and the like, becoming a valid and trusted food and feed ingredient. The science behind insect protein is certainly solid enough and


has been for a long time. For example, during a recent pre-interview study of the insect farming giant, Ÿnsect, I was impressed to note that the company’s 260-strong innovation research team has, to date, filed no fewer than 350 patents in support of what the company describes as its ‘drive to revolutionise the cultivation of mealworms, transforming


Comment section is sponsored by Compound Feed Engineering Ltd www.cfegroup.com


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52  |  Page 53  |  Page 54  |  Page 55  |  Page 56  |  Page 57  |  Page 58  |  Page 59  |  Page 60  |  Page 61  |  Page 62  |  Page 63  |  Page 64  |  Page 65  |  Page 66  |  Page 67  |  Page 68