Trade fair visit: 'Global Feed Safety Summit'

Day 1. What does the future of the animal feed landscape look like?

Day one was dedicated to the theme ‘Food for Thought’. Since the last Feed Safety Summit in 2017, a great deal has changed on the world stage, partly as a result of several crises. Events such as COVID-19, the war in Ukraine, the grounding of the container ship Ever Given, trade disputes and the increase in extreme weather highlighted the vulnerability of international trade. 

In addition, by 2050 the world population will grow to around 10 billion. According to the FAO, the demand for food will rise by 60%. The growth in livestock needed to meet this demand requires an enormous increase in feed. A very strong increase in livestock is expected, mainly in developing countries. It is also estimated that the consumption of poultry and aquatic animals will double.

By 2050, the consumption of poultry and aquatic animals is expected to double.

Does every country have the same focus when it comes to animal feed and its framework?

The hot topics are not the same across the entire international community. In the West, the focus is on increasing sustainability, reducing dependence on animal proteins and setting up a circular chain. In non-Western developed countries, the focus is mainly on sustainability. Developing countries concentrate mainly on food safety, professionalisation and increasing production. A shared global focus is addressing antimicrobial resistance.

Day 2. How can we make the animal feed production process more sustainable?

“It’s not the miles that matter the most”. When it comes to sustainability, everyone agrees that sourcing raw materials and feed regionally is a much better option than buying everything in the global chain, because it involves less transport. Yet feed transport accounts for only a small percentage of the chain's emissions. Making primary production more sustainable is more important.

Unfortunately, financial and knowledge-related constraints often stand in the way of more sustainable production worldwide. To create impact, a “reward + support” scheme is needed, offering long-term contracts, preferential loans, consulting and better remuneration for products, among other things. This allows sustainable farmers to stay one step ahead of their less sustainable competitors and encourages more farmers to take action. 

In addition, the European Union is working on legislation on sustainable sourcing in the global chain. Under this legislation, imported raw materials must be free from deforestation practices and remain physically segregated in the chain. However, this could potentially lead to an increase in deforestation. Moving purchases away from high-risk areas does not stop deforestation practices. Trade will shift to countries that do not apply sustainability standards.

Feed transport accounts for only a small percentage of emissions; making primary production more sustainable is far more important.

How can we reduce the environmental impact of animal feed?

Animal feed accounts for around 45% of the environmental impact of livestock farming. Reducing emissions can have a positive effect on the climate issue. Databases make it possible to map and improve the environmental footprint of agro-industrial processes. Alternative feed materials must also be sought to meet growing demand without cutting down even more forests and converting natural areas into land where diversity gives way to monocultures. 

What initiatives are being taken to tackle food waste?

The summit took a close look at the vast amount of food waste. “1/3 of food is wasted between field & fork”.  

Many initiatives are already under way in the European Community. For example, vegetable oil press cakes, sieve fractions from flour mills and by-products from beer production are already widely used as feed materials. Pioneering companies such as Trotec were also praised for their use of residual streams from the food industry, turning biscuits, crisps and bakery products into full-value feed materials. Within industry, this kind of valorisation step is relatively easy to take, unlike reducing food waste from already packaged goods in supermarkets and the leftovers generated by households.

 

Day 3. What role will technology play in the future of the animal feed sector?

Audits with Augmented Reality

When the future of the animal feed sector is discussed, alternative possibilities and themes are never far away. A demonstration with the Microsoft Hololens showed how an audit can be carried out using Augmented Reality glasses. 

A field auditor walks around the shop floor wearing the Hololens, while an expert or co-auditor follows online. Even if this person is on the other side of the continent, they can still assist with the audit and contribute their expertise. The audience also mentioned other applications, such as maintenance technicians using this technology. 

On the other hand, the audience agreed unanimously that data protection could be a major issue here. In their view, commercially sensitive data could be tracked without control. A stable internet connection also appears to be a potentially major stumbling block.

Making optimal use of data with blockchain technology

Opinion on blockchain technology within the animal feed sector, by contrast, was very positive. In 2021, a project was launched in Brazil to introduce a new digital generation into the transport of commodities such as maize and soya. With this new technology, data communication between traders, shippers, shipping companies and buyers should run much more smoothly. 

What forms of collaboration can lead to a better sector?

One of the major topics of this summit was the need for collaboration. This had already been raised earlier regarding sustainability throughout the chain, from primary producer to end user. As new hazards keep emerging, platforms on which knowledge and information about product and chain hazards can be shared are becoming increasingly important. This collaboration should also be encouraged within the chain to upgrade residual streams.

GMP+ agenda items up to 2030

To close, a new agenda was set for GMP+: an agenda filled with key points for the animal feed sector on the road to 2030. 

• GMP+ will focus on a collaboration with GFLI (database). This database helps to map environmental impact. 
• GMP+ is exploring with Covantis how feed safety can be supported by blockchain technology. 
• The managing director of GMP+ has decided to help with the global promotion of the antimicrobial resistance standard.
• Launch of a discussion platform on sustainability in the animal feed sector. 

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