Implications for the Feed Industry

Abstract

The animal feed industry relies on cereal grains and pulses to supply energy and protein, respectively. Increasing amounts of both groups of ingredients, but in particular, cereal grains, are being used for the production of ethanol for biofuel. Currently, about a third of the maize crop produced in the United States is used for ethanol production and will rise to about 43 % by 2015 (van der Aar and Doppenberg, 2009). Although limited in impact, a considerable amount of oils produced from oilseeds such as canola, soybean, peanut and sunflower is being processed into biodiesel. This is causing a major strain in the supply of edible oil for feed manufacturing. An indirect effect of the increased use of maize for ethanol production is the change in land use, whereby, farmers in North America are converting land previously used for soybean production into maize production (Anon., 2011a). Although maize is the main cereal grain used by the ethanol industry, it is by no means the only grain used but plants in Canada and Europe tend to use more wheat while the two main plants currently in production in Australia and a few in the USA rely on sorghum.