Feed market

Animal feeds play a leading role in the global food industry, enabling economic production of animal proteins throughout the world. Feed is the largest and most important component to ensuring safe, abundant and affordable animal proteins.

Animal feeds may be produced in industrial feedmills or in simple on-farm mixers. In 2010, the world compound feed production was of an estimated 720 million tonnes and the turnover of the global commercial feed manufacturing generates an estimated annual turnover and sales value equivalent to US$300 billion worldwide. Commercial production or sale of manufactured feed products takes place in more than 120 countries and directly employs more than a quarter of a million skilled workers, technicians, managers and professionals. The global feed industry continues to expand in volume and value in response to increases in world population, urbanization and growing consumer purchasing power.

One of the challenges is that on top of the almost 1 billion  tonnes of feed produced by the feed industry, around 300 million tonnes of feed is produced directly by on farm mixing. This poses challenges as food safety authorities do not regularly audit mixing by farmers and regulatory authorities only inspect when there is a problem.  The International Feed Industry Federation (IFIF) believes it is vital for the feed industry and for the sustainability of the whole feed and food chain that clear standards apply throughout the whole feed chain. We believe both industrial and on farm mixers should be controlled and inspected on a regular basis.

Growth in 2013 will depend on the global grain production, biofuels policies and export demand – in terms of feed availability and affordability. Globally we expect modest growth of around 2% for the industry. The petfood industry and the aquaculture industries will continue to grow strongly.

Source: www.ifif.org