Whilst the poultry feed industry is still getting its head around the concept of phytase ‘super-dosing’, AB Vista has come out with the results of a new study which advocates combining phytase super-dosing with a single-enzyme xylanase.
Researchers from Bangor University, UK, warn that diverting fodder crops to farm-scale anaerobic digestion in the UK could put pressure on animal feed supply and cause damage to the environment through land use displacement.
Raisioagro, the feed and grain division of Finnish agri-food firm Raisio, has booked significant losses and a decline in net sales for the first half of 2014.
A Scottish animal feed firm has been fined £240,000 after a lorry driver was crushed to death when a two-tonne, fully loaded grain bin fell onto him from a forklift truck.
The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) has raised its forecast for projected EU feed wheat supplies for 2014/15 by 2.5 million ton in its World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimates (WASDE), which were published this week.
Almost 100 pig farms in the Netherlands, which had been shut down by the Dutch food safety authority (nVWA) last week due to an illegal antibiotic find in feed, are operational again.
Market conditions in animal feed continued to improve for DSM in recent months, with it citing a strong performance for its premix businesses during Q2, but the Dutch group predicts ongoing volatility in the vitamin E market.
The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has said French documentation supporting the country's attempt to ban Monsanto's MON810 genetically modified maize in Europe contains no new information or scientific basis to support such a ban.
UK pig industry representatives have criticized a report from Defra looking at the progress of various livestock sectors on climate change targets saying feed conversion ratio (FCR) is too simplistic a metric for GHG emission performance.
A criminal investigation has been launched by the public prosecutor’s office in the Netherlands following the discovery of the banned antibiotic, furazolidone, in feed.
An EU Food and Veterinary Office (FVO) audit from November last year found the Spanish feed chain control system does not take into account all known feed safety risks and that it “repeatedly missed certain non-compliances by feed operators.”
EU feed and cereal sector representatives say the postponement of a decision on the authorization of eight genetically modified (GM) crops by the European Commission is ‘highly problematic’ for the security of protein supplies.
There are a limited number of nanomaterials in development for feed additives, but projects with some momentum behind them include one looking to replace antibiotics with nano-sized substitutes, finds an EFSA-commissioned report.
EFSA experts say they need more information before they can go ahead with an assessment of the risks arising from the production and consumption of insects as feed and food.
Huge disruption to feed grain trade and subsequent price hikes would follow if the EU regulator does not approve eight genetically modified (GM) crops before the summer recess, say trade groups.
A Dutch feed producer is under investigation following the discovery of the banned antibiotic, Furazolidone, in animal feed it supplied to four veal producers.
Adding a yeast derivative based on brewery yeast hydrolyzate to the diet of post-weaned piglets may support their immune system without affecting animal performance, says a new study from The Netherlands and Finland.
EFSA is set to increase the number of technical hearings it offers to applicants to give them greater opportunity to discuss outstanding questions about their applications during the food and feed additive risk assessment process.
Mycotoxins pose the greatest threat to animal productivity and need greater legislative focus, says a professor who has led an EU funded project evaluating emerging risks in the animal feed sector.
UK politicians are calling for government action to ensure the use of antibiotics in farm animals is strictly required for therapeutic use and that more research is carried out on the link between animal and human pathogens resistant to antibiotics.
Spanish feed additives company, Rubinum, has criticized EFSA’s findings that new evidence submitted by the firm on Toyocerin did not demonstrate the safety of the gut flora stabilizer.
Dutch livestock feed group, ForFarmers, which operates in the UK through subsidiary BOCM Pauls, is continuing its European consolidation strategy by acquiring feed co-product company Wheyfeed for £5 million ($6.8m)
EFSA has again found that Toyocerin from Spanish feed additives firm, Rubinum, poses a risk for the spread of determinants for resistance to two antibiotics used in human and veterinary medicine - tetracycline and chloramphenicol.
A group of UK politicians are calling for the government to migrate away from heavy dependence on imported soybean for animal feed and they want a Plan B for the development of alternative protein sources.
Nutreco’s fish feed division, Skretting, is ploughing a significant amount of its research funds into the development of alternative proteins to fishmeal for the aquaculture sector.
Barley with improved grain phytase activity could soon be a reality if regulators classify new plant breeding techniques in the same way as traditional breeding methods and do not label them GM, says a plant science expert.
Moisture levels, rising temperatures, the availability of oxygen and poor feed management during storage contribute to changes in the levels and types of mycotoxins in feed, says an expert on the grain contaminants.
The EU feed sector is aiming to further reduce feed conversion rates and has made lower phosphorous and nitrogen intake in livestock a priority for the coming years, according to the latest policy review from feed manufacturer representatives, FEFAC.
An analyst questions Nutreco’s move to set up a joint venture in fish feed in Nigeria, saying the Dutch feed group should remain focused on the massive growth potential of the Asian and Latin American aquaculture markets instead.
The Parma-based feed safety assessor said it cannot conclude on the effectiveness of a digestibility enhancer aimed at lactating sows due to a lack of supporting data.
Raisioagro, the feed and grain division of Finnish food group Raisio, is to cease production of poultry and pig feed due to a “lack of competitiveness” in the market there.
As Nutreco announces it is to hold onto its Iberian business for the foreseeable future, a Dutch broker says management at the feed company has been ‘clumsy’ in the execution of the divestment process.
Greater availability, combined with lower open market prices for oats and a historically small wheat crop, has seen a hike in the use of oats in animal feed in the UK in recent months.
Supplementing the diet of piglets with laminarin from seaweed may improve gut health and growth performance post-weaning, according to a series of studies from Ireland.
Evonik could be a takeover target within three years but the amino acids division would likely be divested in such an event, says one analyst as a trust moves to cut its stake in the German firm.
Dutch group Van Aarsen is looking to save on lubrication costs for feed manufacturers with its latest pelleting innovation, while its state-of-the-art feed mill project in Sweden reaches the fine-tuning phase.
‘The industry is crying out for better performing piglet feed,’ says De Heus as it launched a new feed program for young pigs at the Utrecht feed to meat show.
