Sustainability in the animal feed industry – is it possible?

Agriculture: A sector with potential

A healthy and efficient agricultural sector is essential to providing people with high-quality food. Unfortunately, it is inevitable that this sector therefore also emits considerable quantities of greenhouse gases. However, every reduction is a step in the right direction and brings us a little closer to the overarching goal of sustainability and climate neutrality. Within the food industry, the animal feed sector and livestock farmers play a particularly important role, as healthy and robust animals produce top-quality eggs and milk. Furthermore, this also forms the basis for first-class meat, which has an equally firm place within the food supply. The good news is that there are several ways to provide animals with a wholesome diet whilst still acting sustainably. We will now take a closer look at five of these. It is important to bear in mind that genuine and comprehensive sustainability must function on three levels: ecology, economy and social responsibility.

1. Efficient animal nutrition

Less is more! This also applies to the animal feed industry – at least when high-performance feed is used. The efficiency of animal feed is defined as achieving the greatest possible effect with the smallest possible feed ration. Depending on the animal species and the objective, this may involve higher egg-laying or milk yield, greater weight gain, or some other improvement or maintenance of the current condition. Less feed means fewer resources. To ensure that the animals are still optimally nourished and their health is safeguarded, their feed must have a high nutrient density. This allows an animal’s individual requirements to be fully met. Furthermore, the addition of certain additives helps to improve the digestibility and efficiency of animal feed. For example, various essential oils or certain fatty acids reduce methane emissions, whilst the enzyme phytase reduces phosphorus utilisation and excretion.

2. Modern methods of feed production

When it comes to human food, opting for minimally processed foods is often the healthiest choice. This does not always apply to the feeding of livestock or pets – certain types of concentrated feed cannot be produced without processing. However, a black-and-white distinction is inappropriate here. This is because modern equipment, techniques and processes ensure, at the very least, that the processes involved in heat treatment, pressing and so on are less energy-intensive. And these are constantly being further developed. Their use enables significant energy savings, thereby making the production of animal feed more sustainable.

Furthermore, when producing animal feed and its raw materials, attention must be paid to fertilisation. The choice of natural fertilisers such as manure is not only sustainable in terms of the efficient use of by-products that arise anyway; another benefit is that this results in less water pollution. It is nevertheless advisable to determine fertiliser requirements precisely in order to get the best possible yield from the soil.

3. Making conscious use of by-products

By-products are frequently produced during the manufacture of food for human consumption. Even if these cannot be utilised directly as food, it is sometimes possible to use them indirectly as animal feed. The following products are ideal for use (after further processing) as animal feed:

• Soya extraction meal

• Bran and fine flour

• Oilseed meal and oilseed cake

• maize gluten

• Dry chaff

Similarly, some foodstuffs that have already been produced but have cosmetic flaws or other defects can be processed for use as feed for farm animals. This conserves resources and ensures they are used efficiently in the context of animal health. Instead of ending up as waste, these by-products are channelled directly back into the feed and food cycle. In this way, efficiency, sustainability and cost-effectiveness are combined.

4. A focus on regional produce

Simply in terms of eliminating long transport routes and supply chains – which can result in a significant reduction in exhaust emissions and CO₂ – regionally and locally grown feed, used as compound feed, is the ideal solution. This is particularly true given that a wide variety of fodder crops and raw materials for the production of animal feed can be grown in Germany. This also has the advantage that it is easier to verify – or, if in doubt, even influence – whether the feed meets organic standards or other requirements, for example.

5. If you’re going to import, do it properly

However good the idea of using only regionally grown produce may be, it is not always fully feasible. For protein supply, for example, importing soya meal is sometimes unavoidable. Where this is the case, care should be taken to ensure that the soya plants have not been genetically modified. It is worth noting that around two-thirds of all soya originates from areas with a low risk of deforestation. This criterion is essential for sustainable soya feeding. Certification schemes indicate whether soya is deforestation-free or GMO-free, and whether it comes from organic farming. The following labels provide assurance that a product is as sustainable as possible:

• Danube Soya/European Soya

• ProTerra Certification

• Roundtable on Responsible Soy – RTRS Non-GMO Credits (RTRS NON-GMO)

To ensure that procurement is carried out responsibly and with the lowest possible carbon footprint, the transport route must also be scrutinised. Where domestic feedstuffs can meet the demand – including from an economic perspective – this is generally the more sustainable choice.

Conclusion: Ambitious goals require dedication

Across all sectors and industries, there are ambitious targets relating to sustainability and climate neutrality. These can only be achieved if awareness of the need for and responsibility towards these issues continues to grow – including amongst livestock farmers. We are happy to advise on all aspects of packaging for compound feed and related products, to ensure that animal nutrition is wholesome and species-appropriate. Options must be continuously optimised and developed, as is the case, for example, with the Frozen food. Ultimately, it’s the same as with so many things: even small changes are valuable and a step towards the goal.