BCFTA: The Feed Industry Faces a Challenging Future

Primetics are proud members of the British Corn & Feed Trade Association and we were delighted to write a piece for their annual review discussing the challenging future facing the animal feed industry.

Animal Feed Sector

The animal feed sector has been defined in recent years by the rising demand for meat, dairy, and other livestock-based goods. According to the 2021 World Population Data Sheet, the global population is expected to reach 9.7 billion by 2050, implying that the feed industry would have to feed an additional 2 billion mouths.

In the UK alone, the volume of manufactured feed has seen a 30% increase from 3.3 million to 4.3 million tonnes, over the last 50 years. Despite rising production, the number of animal feed mills continues to decline.

In 1965, there were over 800 feed mills in Great Britain; by 2025, there are predicted to be fewer than 100. This presents a clear challenge where fewer feed mills are dealing with larger demand than ever before.

Despite the ever-increasing need for food, businesses are constrained in their ability to expand their operations due to rising environmental concerns. Agriculture, forestry, and other land use are major contributors to global warming, accounting for 24% of total greenhouse gas emissions. As a result, the feed sector is faced with the difficult task of satisfying food demand while both addressing environmental issues and remaining profitable.

Feed Industry Technological Innovation

Over the last 50 years, there has been a significant rise in technological innovation in the feed industry, which has improved the scope and speed of production practices. Nonetheless, according to a recent sector analysis, agriculture is one of the least digitised industries.

Though technological improvements have yielded many great outcomes, there is a new emergent transformation that places data and connectivity at its core. This emerging transformation is marked by the heavy funding and pursuing of R&D initiatives by government bodies.

In order to meet established targets and advance the feed industry closer to more efficient production processes, the UK government recently announced the commencement of its Farming Innovation Programme. The programme’s aim is to create solutions that have the potential to increase the overall productivity, sustainability, and resilience of England’s agricultural and horticultural sectors while driving them toward net-zero.

On the new programme, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Jo Churchill, stated that ‘Innovation is vital to address the challenges facing the agricultural and horticultural sectors’ and that ‘The Farming Innovation Programme will enable the sector to be more environmentally sustainable and resilient, whilst helping it achieve its net-zero ambitions’.

Data & Connectivity Solutions

Emerging solutions utilise data and connectivity to integrate multiple aspects of a business’s operations into a single solution. These solutions not only streamline and optimise production but increase risk management while delivering higher returns and reduced costs. Furthermore, the ever-increasing analytical capabilities for identifying issues have increased the demand for transparency.

Feed businesses may trace numerous factors to demonstrate compliance with regulatory legislation and other quality checks by embracing data and connection through these new solutions.

What is certain is that the feed industry faces a challenging future that includes achieving the ideal balance between meeting the growing demand for food and attaining efficient feed manufacturing processes, all while the number of functioning feed mills continues to decrease. With significant research and substantial governmental funding, it appears that the answers may lie in innovation and the adoption of software solutions and new emerging technologies.

If you’d like to know more about how our feed management software, Gold, can help you tackle challenges of the feed industry, please do get in touch.