Animal feeders are demanding open market access for protein imports
The European feed industry welcomes the increasing level of protein self-sufficiency in the EU, but continues to demand free market access for feed imports.
18 October 2020
With a view to next week's meeting of the EU Agriculture Council, the European umbrella association of the feed industry (FEFAC) expressly welcomes the EU's efforts to increase the level of protein self-sufficiency. “The increasing self-sufficiency has a positive effect on food security and food independence in the EU. It also serves the sustainability goals anchored in the Green Deal ”, emphasizes Dr. Hermann-Josef Baaken, spokesman for the management of the Deutscher Verband Tiernahrung eV (DVT), the largest FEFAC member association.
The EU is dependent on feed imports
In a letter to Minister of Agriculture Julia Klöckner, FEFAC formulates the concerns about the future structure of the EU protein supply. According to current information from the EU, the protein self-sufficiency rate is currently around 78%. But with a view to the high-protein feed (protein content of 30–35%), European countries are still dependent on imports from overseas. According to the EU, it cannot be assumed that this situation will change in the foreseeable future. Open market access for imported vegetable proteins therefore remains of great importance for European feed producers.
Feeding more and more efficient
“The feed industry is constantly developing new measures to make the protein supply in livestock feeding more efficient and sustainable,” explains FEFAC President Asbjørn Børsting. The European manufacturers of pet food, in cooperation with other partners in the value chain, have dealt intensively with the development of alternative protein sources, innovative feeding systems and the improvement of digestibility and protein quality. Thanks to the innovations of recent years, the amounts of crude protein used in livestock feed could have been reduced overall and excretion losses minimized.
Protein production in the EU needs breeding success
With a view to the existing efforts of politics and business, Børsting refers to the important role of the new breeding methods. These could significantly increase the competitiveness of protein crops and oilseeds in the EU. Børsting: “On the one hand, we need new breeding successes to increase productivity and thus the crop yield. On the other hand, with this technology we can achieve improved amino acid compositions, which in turn result in better digestibility. ”However, according to the FEFAC President, social acceptance is an essential element for successful market access.
From:https://www.topagrar.com/schwein/news/tierernaehrer-fordern-offenen-marktzugang-fuer-proteinimporte-12378875.html?utm_source=topagrar