European feed industry efforts to help tackle livestock & aquaculture challenges

The European livestock sector is faced with great sustainability challenges. The EU Green Deal and the Farm to Fork Strategy have set the political expectations, while also societal demands have evolved. Livestock production is required to improve its environmental performance as well as enhance animal health & welfare, while the tools and incentives to achieve change are not always there. It is vital to provide the conditions that help to empower the livestock farmer in the green transition, as FEFAC sets out to do with the implementation of the 5 ambitions of its Feed Sustainability Charter 2030.

There is a need to assist private chain actors and public authorities in their decisions to integrate into their sustainability policies the animal nutrition dimension to help achieve the sustainability targets, while maintaining a strong socio-economic fabric in rural areas. FEFAC asked its members via a questionnaire which are the environmental, animal health and animal welfare challenges where advanced animal feeding strategies can play a role of importance and provide concrete examples. The reported case studies have been selected for their efficacy, underpinned by strong scientific evidence. Additional information is also provided on the conditions of use, the trade-offs, the economic aspects and the regulatory limitations when they exist.