'Feed track interesting for every pig farmer'

The voluntary feed track in pig farming started on Monday 29 May. René Kuipers, nutritionist and specialist finishing pigs at ForFarmers, advises every pig farmer to register for the scheme. "If it doesn't help, then it won't hurt."

How many applications do you expect?
'It is difficult to estimate how many pig farmers have registered. I expect a lot, because the scheme is popular among pig farmers and is (financially) interesting to participate in. We have noticed that pig farmers are extensively informed about the effects and possible consequences for the company. The intention of the scheme is good, because there is a great urgency to stay below the phosphate ceiling. For this, the feed track must be optimally used. That is a joint responsibility for Dutch livestock farming.'

What do you recommend to your customers: to register or not?
'We advise our customers to register for the scheme. It does not entail any risks, just some extra administration. It is lucrative, because supplying less phosphate is financially rewarded. Fattening pig farms with complete compound feed in particular benefit from the scheme, because their phosphorus has already decreased compared to last year. For companies that partly feed by-products, the advantage is probably smaller, because only compound feed counts within the scheme. This is a limitation of the scheme, however, because individual raw materials are not included in the reduction. My estimate is that about 30 percent of the companies carry by-products. In terms of animal numbers, the percentage can even reach 50 percent. We also advise these companies to make use of the scheme, as it pays off for them in many cases too.'

Which feed raw materials score negatively and what happens to the composition of the feed? 
'Raw materials with a relatively high phosphorus content include rapeseed meal, sunflower meal and wheat meal. Wheat and soya score better in terms of phosphorus content. Soybean meal can be a favorable alternative to, for example, rapeseed meal. However, the raw material prices partly determine the feed composition. It is important that pig farmers choose a composition that suits the farm. Going too far with digestible phosphorus can lead to poorer technical results. The damage can be many times greater than the compensation from the scheme. My advice to pig farmers is therefore: get advice and use common sense about how you can best use this arrangement.'

How much will the feed price rise?
'At ForFarmers we have been working on reducing phosphorus in our feed for some time now. As a result, we are already a lot lower in phosphorus in fattening pig feed than last year. We also score lower compared to the market average. As a result, the customers participating in the scheme will certainly realize a reduction in the supply of phosphorus. For customers who want to go even further, in terms of phosphorus reduction, there will be adapted feeds. These customized feeds are probably slightly more expensive, but how much depends of course on the raw material prices.'

How feasible is the reduction of 1 million kilos in compound feed?
'That objective is promising. The scheme applies throughout 2017 and we see in our own feeds that a significant decrease in phosphorus has already been achieved in the first 5 months of 2017. Therefore, I expect that the target can be achieved. The raw material prices do have an influence on this. Suppose the price of rapeseed meal plummets, while the price of soya meal rises sharply, then a new challenge arises. Overall, I expect a positive outcome. Incidentally, feed utilization is at least as important as the input of phosphorus, which is the basis of the regulation. Optimum feed utilization has the potential to reduce a lot of phosphate.'

look at it file feed track 

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Wouter Job

Wouter Baan is editor-in-chief of Boerenbusiness. He also focuses on dairy, pig and meat markets. He also follows (business) developments within agribusiness and interviews CEOs and policymakers.

w.baan@boerenbusiness. Nl

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