that are valuable to the farmer in identifying ways to optimise performance as well as emissions.” In addition, SRUC is developing a new cloud-based platform for


Agrecalc, which will enable much greater integration with other upstream and downstream data sources, facilitating conversations around carbon along the whole supply chain. Hopefully, that will include animal feed inputs, being a vital aspect of sustainable meat production, going forward.


Global trade ‘Thought Experiment’ With all the despairing livestock farming talk in Britain surrounding the UK’s free trade agreement with Australia, it was an arresting experience to read the latest futuristic trade views issued by Rabobank. Described as a ‘Thought Experiment’, the Dutch bank’s


RaboResearch team explored the food & agribusiness (F&A) implications of a collapse in the current world order, under which the US and China ‘decouple’ in trading terms and the EU and South America take different sides, according to three contrasting scenarios. It is a fascinating but highly complex report which runs to 13 pages, all of which means the following summary is more of a glimpse into what is being said than a full-blown analysis. Suffice it to say, there are plenty of feed sector implications to make the full report worth more detailed consideration. While the US and China decouple in all three scenarios, differences


arise in accordance with what action is taken by the EU and South America. In scenario 1, for example, both remain neutral; in 2, they both side with the US; while in 3, the EU joins the US and South America joins China. Focusing on the potential fall-out in relation to grains & oilseeds


(G&O), animal protein (AP) and dairy, scenario 1 is described as ‘somewhat manageable’, 2 is termed the ‘worst case for all products’, while 3 is said to be ‘bad for dairy’ and likely to ‘raise issues for G&O and AP’. In 2, where the US, EU & SA are all on one side, leaving China on


the other, the research team warn of unmanageable shortages of feed in China and massive surpluses in the US. As a result, both regions would be likely to suffer heavily, with livestock output in China being seriously impacted while the US surpluses would force farmers there to significantly reduce production. The closest the RaboResearch team comes to a conclusion is to


state that they ‘rarely publish thought experiments like this’, before adding that while the future ‘may evolve differently’ it is worth stating that having a ‘black swan event on the strategic planning board is crucial’. As previously warned, this was a glimpse, not an analysis.


Shortage of workers Brexit-inspired labour shortages continue to affect the UK meat industry, a point made recently by the Scottish Association of Meat Wholesalers (SAMW), who reported some member companies dealing with a 10-12% shortfall in filling vacancies. One Scottish meat company leader went even further, stating that


the labour shortage had become his number one business concern, which was quite a statement, given the Covid-19 pressures under which all businesses have been operating since March 2020.


As regular readers will know, I could go on about this. Eventually,


however, Brexit fatigue sets in and even I am getting close to that point. No promises about the future though.


Feed innovations I always like to do a trawl of feed sector innovations when compiling this column and the gem turned up this time concerns a project which is designed to use fungi-based protein to feed farm salmon. I should pause at this point to acknowledge that not all such projects


will be good news for established feed suppliers. Having said that, you can’t hold back the tide of change, especially when a new idea has genuine value. It is also true to say that established suppliers tend to be pretty alert to things new and progressive and are more than ready to join the action when something looks good. With that bit of self-defence, back to what is described as a


‘ground-breaking circular economy feed ingredient for farmed salmon’. Justifying such a claim, is a proposed development which is geared to create fish feed that contains protein from recycled wastewater in the starch industry. The new feed is one of seven development proposals identified


through a sustainable aquaculture competition run by the European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT). Designed to address the natural defence mechanisms of salmon by supporting their basic biological functions, the new feed is also claimed to help prevent disease. Due to be made from a sustainable fungi-based protein to replace


the use of fishmeal and soybean meal, the new product is backed by an international consortium consisting of Cewatech, a Swedish technology company; the Technical University of Denmark; and Matis, a food and biotechnology company, based in Iceland. “We are delighted that EIT will assist and support us in bringing


our patented product to its industrialisation phase,” commented Kurt Bjørkvik of Cewatech. “We believe our fish feed will be beneficial for generations of fish farmers to come and will produce high-quality fish for consumers worldwide.”


€0.7 million funding success Continuing with innovation, albeit somewhat further along the commercial process, a start-up spin-off from the VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland has just raised €0.7 million to focus on insect protein developments. The company, Volare, also has plans to start the construction of a


commercial scale protein production plant in 2023 and to subsequently build ‘several plants’ in Europe every year thereafter. The idea behind this venture is centred on a ‘unique method’ of


producing high-quality proteins and oils from the side streams of the food industry, such as using the non-edible parts of grains. The company says that its new method will be used to grow black soldier flies on a commercial scale and that the solution will include growing the insects and processing them into an industry-compatible end product. “Our goal is to radically reduce the environmental load of the food


chain,” said Volare co-founder, Matti Tähtinen, which is really where we started with this column, and probably a good place to leave it.


FEED COMPOUNDER JULY/AUGUST 2021 PAGE 21


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