Our tracking of developments relative to amino acid, vitamin and mineral production in early September generated a lot of interest. The story looked at factory shutdowns, and other market disrputions, as well as freight trends and M&A activity globally.
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An article from May this year was still generating a lot of traffic in autumn.
It forecast that corn prices would trade at historically elevated levels for the remainder of 2022 and into 2023.
The prediction was made by UK grain and oilseed commodity market analysts, CRM Agri.
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A piece from August on a new product by DSM got you clicking. The company outlined how there is a new focus in poultry microbiome research, with specialists now looking more at function and metabolic pathways, rather than the conventional approach that places emphasis on microbial composition.
In that context, the animal nutrition specialist said it developed a precision biotic, one that is designed to orchestrate microbiome metabolism and optimize the bird’s resilience to enteric stress, to aid in nutrient utilization, to improve welfare, and to also reduce emissions.
DSM launched Symphiome at the World's Poultry Congress (WPC), held in Paris during 9-11 August.
Research conducted to understand the exact mechanism of action of precision biotics (PBs) has demonstrated that they increase metabolic functions intrinsic to the microbiome, which detoxify unabsorbed amino acids and leaked host protein, independent of the microbiota composition, said the producer.
“This leads to that higher resilience to enteric stress, better nutrient utilization, improved welfare and reduced emissions,” noted an overview by Dr Cristiano Bortoluzzi, senior poultry scientist and Dr Jack Geremia, global head of microbiome discovery, DSM nutritional products, Switzerland.
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A story from August calling on the feed industry to meet expanding aquaculture demand ‘in a sustainable way’ garnered lots of interest.
Growth in aquaculture, particularly in Asia, has driven production of fisheries and aquaculture to an all-time high, according to a new report from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN (FAO).
In 2020, the sector’s output grew to 214 million metric tons, with aquatic animals accounting for the vast majority of this volume.
As the sector continues to expand, the UN organization said more targeted transformative changes are needed to achieve a “sustainable, inclusive and equitable” fisheries and aquaculture sector.
A representative outlined a number of ways in which the feed industry could act to promote the ‘Blue Transformation’ of aquaculture. These included: reducing resource use through precise feeding practices; reusing fish waste products through integrated systems; and increasing access to affordable, sustainable and high quality feed in regions where fed aquaculture is growing, especially Sub-Saharan Africa and Small Island Developing States (SIDS).
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Readers were drawn to a recent piece about the AIC taking WWF to task over a report.
The NGO proposed that livestock numbers be limted and cereals and oilseeds should be elimated from animal diets, with the organizaton adding that a rethink was needed around the animal feed model in the UK.
The WWF outlined a strategy for replacing animal feeds like soy and cereals with alternatives like grass, food by-products and insect meal, saying the way in which we currently produce much of our animal source food is inherently inefficient. “Rather than consuming the products of animal agriculture fed on crops that humans can eat, it would be more efficient, in terms of land use and inputs, for people to consume those crops directly.”
James McCulloch, head of feed at the AIC, the UK agrisupply industry’s trade association, argued that producing less livestock in the UK would just lead to increased imports of meat and dairy from Europe and further afield to meet market demand.
“We, the feed industry, respond to demand from our customers, the livestock producers; they respond to demand from their customers, food processors; and retailers put the products that consumers want to buy on the shelves. I’m not saying you can’t change any of that but to suggest that it is the feed industry’s job to solve this so-called issue…I don’t think it is."
According to McCulloch, eliminating cereals from animal diets would be problematic on a number of levels, creating a nutrition gap in animal diets as well as potentially threatening food security through short-term supply shortages.
“Animals need starch and fiber in their diet - which they currently get from cereals and other crops. When you look at alternative feed sources such as carbon capture single cell organisms and microalgae, they are very high in protein but contain very little starch and fiber, so we would have to make sure we were delivering on the nutritional requirements of animals,” he said.
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A story from last month on the repercussions of a recent EU biofuels vote got people clicking.
On September 14, the EU Parliament voted on a report by MEP Markus Pieper (EPP, DE) proposing a revision of the EU Renewable Energy Directive (RED III).
FEDIOL welcomed the results, which indicated that the EP is aligned with the Commission and Council on maintaining the 7% cap on crop-based biofuels. However, it was critical of the MEPs' decison to shift away from the stance of the Commission and Council on high ILUC-risk feedstocks, which, said the protein meal association, would have negative implications for soy and palm oil.
“Changing the criteria and shortening the transition time will be disruptive and damaging to industries with negative repercussions on the production of high protein feed. An appropriate interim period should be maintained, in line with the RED II, to allow industries to adapt to the new provisions, search for new raw material, and develop appropriate technologies."
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A piece from August on a US study suggesting DNA from the African Swine Fever virus (ASFV) can be detected in feed one year after contamination created a buzz.
The findings of the research indicated soybean meal was a stabilizing environment for ASFV, maintaining infectivity for at least 112 days at various temperatures.
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A piece on feed NPD last month whetted the appetite.
We reported on how European based ingredient and technology suppliers, feed formulation experts and farmers had collaborated on the development and launch of a new shrimp feed. The partners including Protix, Förde Garnelen, Aquafeed Germany, neomar and Crusta Nova.
The entities outlined how they worked closely together to develop the product, branded as SHR EX. The new feed has been exclusively designed for the needs of European land-based shrimp farms.
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Insect production always proves popular with readers. An article on how FreezeM is partnering with Hermetia for co-production and distribution of suspended BSF neonates throughout Europe generated a fair amount of traffic.
Isarel's FreezeM Cryogenics Ltd and Germany’s Hermetia Baruth GmbH have set up a strategic alliance for the joint production and distribution of PauseM - ready-to-use packages of suspended Black Soldier Fly (BSF) neonates.
The packages comprise 50,000 neonates, with extended shelf-life of 14 days and over 90% survival rate, said the partners.
“The synergy between Hermetia and FreezeM enables us to create new opportunities for existing and new BSF protein producers that will enhance the entire industry and support it in producing insect protein in a scalable and consistent manner,” Dr Yuval Gilad, FreezeM CEO, told FeedNavigator.
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There was also interest in our piece in September on how Innovafeed had secured US$250m in Series D funding to accelerate its international expansion.
The French insect protein company has become the one of most successful in the sector now in terms of attracting capital.
It said it will use the latest funds to continue to increase production capacity in France through the further expansion of its Black Soldier Fly (BSF) based Nesle production site in the Somme department.
The capital will also go towards its international expansion strategy, notably in the US with the construction of a new production plant in Decatur, Illinois, in collaboration with ADM. In addition, the round will support a global roll-out of Innovafeed's technology as well as ensuring ongoing investment in ingredient R&D.
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