Livestock farmer bought less moist animal feed

This is evident from the annual inventory of the Circular Feed association (CFa), the association of producers and distributors of this type of feed. Almost all food sectors brought slightly less residual product onto the market that could be converted into moist animal feed: from the grain and potato processing industry, the dairy and sugar industry to the fermentation and alcohol industry. The most important moist animal feeds are traditionally potato products, wheat yeast concentrates, pressed pulp, wheat starch, brewers' grains, corn gluten feed and cheese whey. Together, these products account for almost 95% of the sales of moist animal feeds, reports the CFa. The total amount of moist feeds corresponds to almost 1,2 million tonnes of dry feed raw materials.

Smaller harvest of sugar beets and potatoes
The amount of moist feed in the ration of Dutch pigs decreased slightly in 2023 by 4% to 2,8 million tonnes. The supply of potato products, wheat starch, brewer's yeast, and whey products was lower than in 2022. In the cattle farming sector, 2,43 million tonnes of moist animal feed were sold. This is a decrease of 5% compared to 2022, according to CFa. This can be explained by a smaller harvest of beets and potatoes on the one hand, but also by a lower supply of corn gluten feed and brewer's grains.

The association emphasizes the value of the moist feed, which according to it fits in the circular economy: livestock farms use the valuable and nutrient-rich (protein) products from the region. "Moreover, during production, savings can be made on drying costs and thus contributes to reducing the CO2 emissions of food companies and livestock farming."