EIP-AGRI Focus Group "New feed for pigs and poultry"

The Focus Group on New Feed for Pigs and Poultry of the European Innovation Partnership for Agricultural Productivity and Sustainability (EIP-AGRI) addressed the question `Which are the promising new sources and strategies to reduce pressure on natural resources while feeding or producing feed for pigs and poultry?` This group of 20 experts from across Europe assessed the challenge and identified possible solutions. The expert group identified ‘knowledge gaps’ and needs, generated recommendations on how to ensure future implementation of new feed for pigs and poultry, and proposed innovation actions and ideas for Operational Groups.One of the key issues to be addressed by the Focus Group was to identify and characterise the potential new feed options for pigs and poultry. Based on a rationale focusing on economy, nutritional value and sustainability, outlined in the Starting paper, the experts assessed the most promising new feed options during two workshops held in Finland and Belgium. The Focus Group experts identified the following top five new feed options:• Bakery products• Green biomass (grass/clover)• Insects (black soldier fly – Hermetia illucens)• Micro-algae• Single cell protein (bacteria)The selected top five new feed options have different pros and cons regarding nutritional value, economy and sustainability (Chapter 4). Overall, bakery products are a potential feed ingredient which would be relatively easy to introduce/use more widely in the EU. Yet, the nutritional value is not as high as the other new feed options in the Focus Group`s top five. Although green biomass (grass/clover) is slightly more mature than insects, micro-algae and single cell protein from bacteria, the remaining four new feeds are relative immature; and require a lot of research and development before they can be fully implemented at both farm and industry level. To promote implementation, several ideas for Operational Groups were suggested for these top five new feed options (Chapter 5).Recommendations regarding future needs were likewise discussed by the experts both from a practical as well as academic perspective. The consensus was that there is a great need for fast(er) analysis of new feed materials. NIRS (Near InfraRed Spectrometry) was identified as one of the promising techniques to do this. The experts also discussed the need for more insight on the processing of novel (and current) feedstuffs, particularly insects. They also pointed out that more knowledge is needed on the optimal or maximum percentage of these new feed ingredients in feed mixes.The work of the Focus Group provides a broad overview of how stakeholders from the feed sector can contribute to addressing practical and research related issues.