has advanced through four generations of family leaders to arrive at 2021 with animal feed operations running in more than 20 countries. “This is how we contribute to the development of the agricultural sector,” said De Heus. “We call it ‘powering progress’.”


Turning point for insect feed development I’ve written a lot about insect protein and its potential in recent years, always taking the view that it’s a feed development which is both welcome and inevitable. That’s despite whatever consumer acceptance issues need to play-out before this particular protein advance really takes off. It’s encouraging therefore to reflect on the latest projections from


Rabobank’s animal protein specialists who believe the demand for insect protein could reach half a million tonnes by 2030. While noting that consumer acceptance remains ‘low in developed


countries’ for both whole and processed insect-based foods, The Netherlands-headquartered bank asserts that insect-based nutrition has the potential to bring new value-added propositions to the market, based on its nutritional, functional, and environmental benefits. In fact, Rabobank continues, edible insects tick all the boxes from a nutrition, health, and sustainability point of view. Given the already-stated consumer acceptance issue, however,


Beyhan de Jong, Senior Analyst for Animal Protein at Rabobank, said that insects have a larger potential as a feed ingredient than as a direct consumer food in the next decade. In that context, he said that reaching 500,000 tonnes of insect feed


sales by 2030 will represent a turning point for the industry. “After reaching that point it will get easier for the industry to expand


supply,” he said. “From then on, it will take much less time to double or even quadruple production volumes and to exceed one million metric tonnes.” Along with co-author, Gorjan Nikolik, Senior Analyst for Seafood


at Rabobank, de Jong selects aquaculture, domestic pets, and poultry as big growth areas for feed demand over the next decade, with pigs set for a more modest growth pattern. By 2030, for example, the two specialists predict aquaculture feed demand reaching 200,000 tonnes while pigs could still be down at about 30,000 tonnes. Other headline points in the report include the assertion that there


is ‘no lack of investor appetite’ for insect feed production facilities with current disclosed investments in insects being put at nearly EUR 1 billion. The report includes an ‘additional risks to be addressed’ section,


however, which warrants some study. Key points here include the fact that the insect industry currently consists of too many small companies and too few large ones. It’s also stated that the consumer acceptance issues which need to be faced by the sector are particularly pertinent in relation to the pet food market. “There could be a small group of consumers who are reluctant to


feed their cats and dogs with insects if they are not comfortable with the idea of eating insects as food themselves,” it stated. “In the long term, growth prospects will depend on increasing adoption by consumers.” A good report and well worth checking out.


Online pigs and poultry The growth in online events, due to Covid-19 restrictions preventing the holding of live forums, continues to create opportunities for us all to ‘attend’ high-profile presentations which might otherwise fall into the


‘takes too much time’ category. In this context, the renowned biennial British Pig & Poultry Fair


forums are set to appear online for the first time on 12 May 2021. The presentation will include an impressive array of technical forums, designed to provide producers with the chance to hear the latest thinking and expert opinion on the way ahead for their businesses. “This is a hugely important event for the industry,” said Danny


Johnson, Commercial Director at ABN, the British pig and poultry feed compounder which is ‘partnering’ with the Royal Agricultural Society of England in running the online fair forums. “We are committed to helping producers improve performance on farm and that is exactly what these forums will be offering.” While the next live edition of the Fair is scheduled for 10 & 11 May


2022, this year’s online presence should keep the ‘party’ going. Check out www.pigandpoultry.org.uk for more on this.


Online versus live Where we go regarding ‘online versus live’ once Covid-19 is brought under control is another question, of course. I’m already receiving survey requests from event organisers who


want to know what to do when they’re free to decide how to host a conference in complete post-pandemic freedom. “As the Covid-19 vaccine rollout continues apace, we are busy


planning events for our members to enjoy over the next 12 months,” said one event host recently. “The past year has shown what we can achieve online, but we want to know how you feel about attending events in person in 2021, and how you want us to host events in the future.” For the moment it just sounds good to be heading towards having the choice. What we decide to do with such freedom can come later.


Hatching hope Finally, and on a somewhat different track, it’s good to see progress being made by the development aid initiative, Hatching Hope, which has begun a major expansion in Kenya. Backed by Heifer International and Cargill’s animal nutrition division,


the aim is to provide 10 million people with Hatching Hope help by the end of 2022, working through a combination of direct support for farmers and a series of consumer-awareness campaigns. The overall Hatching Hope goal is to improve the nutrition and


incomes of 100 million people worldwide by 2030, with the new focus on Kenya being geared to address the needs of the country’s children, where a staggering 1.82 million are currently suffering from chronic malnutrition. The initiative involves working across the country’s poultry supply chain to ‘sustainably improve smallholder farmer incomes and increase the awareness and availability of nutrient-rich chicken and eggs for families in Western Kenya’. “Hatching Hope is an example of Cargill and Heifer’s shared belief


in the value of safe, sustainable and affordable animal protein in the diet – as well as a commitment to improving the livelihoods of smallholder farmers,” commented Rene Osorio, Managing Director, Cargill Animal Nutrition Middle East and Africa. “To have real long-term success, we see these participants as


entrepreneurs – smart, resourceful animal producers. In teaching and sharing what we know, we can support smallholder farmers to achieve the economic means to feed their children, send them to school and build resilient communities.”


FEED COMPOUNDER MARCH/APRIL 2021 PAGE 21


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  |  Page 69  |  Page 70  |  Page 71  |  Page 72  |  Page 73  |  Page 74  |  Page 75  |  Page 76