FEFAC hold their 65th public annual meeting: Future Proofing Feed

At the digitally live-streamed 3-D platform used for the FEFAC 65th Congress: Future Proofing Feed, the keynotes speeches were delivered by the EU Agriculture Commissioner Janusz Wojciechowski, EU Farm Council President Maria do Céu Antunes, COPA President Christiane Lambert, DG AGRI Deputy Head of Unit Research & Innovation Tereza Budňáková and Frank O´Mara, President of the Animal Task Force.

Image credit: FEFAC

EU Farm Commissioner Janusz Wojciechowski stated 'The EU Commission has engaged in the Farm to Fork Strategy to examine EU rules to reduce the EU dependency on plant proteins (in particular for oilseeds and meals) by fostering EU-grown plant proteins as well as alternative feed materials'. He noted, 'the five ambitions of the Charter on Feed Sustainability and the Horizon Europe programme are closely linked with specific Green Deal objectives. They are evidence that the feed sector holds a key role in enhancing the sustainability of animal and arable production'.

EU Farm Council President Maria do Céu Antunes highlighted the 'willingness to feed manufacturers to contribute to a fair, digital transition of our economy' echoing the EU objective 'to bet on reinforcement of our strategic EU autonomy (on feed proteins)'.

Innovation in Animal nutrition
The first panel discussion, featuring Eva Zamora (European Commission), Séverine Deschandelliers (FEFANA president), Dirk Ehle (Board Member of Animal Health Europe) & Reinder Sijtsma (Chair of FEFAC´s Premix and Mineral Feed Committee) was dedicated to Innovation in animal nutrition to tackle climate change & environmental impacts of the EU livestock and aquaculture sector. All speakers acknowledged the huge potential of animal nutrition to help farmers in the transition to more sustainable practices, including the reduction of environmental emissions but also animal health & welfare to reduce the needs for antimicrobials. They insisted on the importance of stimulating innovation through private/public and multidisciplinary partnership benefitting also from knowledge transfer from other sectors like human health.

Speakers also agreed that an efficient legal framework in particular for feed additives (less administrative burden, better market protection for applicants, new recognised functions for welfare and environment protection), together with possibilities to communicate to farmers on scientifically proven effects were preconditions to make these innovative feeding strategies available to farmers.

However, acquisition of these solutions also requires investments at farm level, which farmers should be rewarded for and the benefits in terms of e.g. reduction of livestock emissions at individual farm level should be captured by models used by Member States for their emissions inventories. Improvement in accuracy of models will also require public investments in research. Public communication efforts and stakeholders engagement were an essential element of the puzzle to tackle concerns of EU citizens with regards to certain innovations, in order to foster EU ambitions to become a model of successful transition to more sustainable food systems.

New pathways for EU protein production
The second panel discussion, featuring Michael Scannell (Deputy Director-General, DG AGRI European Commission), Pekka Pesonen (Secretary-General, Copa-Cogeca), Régis Fournier (President Euroseeds) & Asbjørn Børsting (FEFAC President) was dedicated to acknowledgement that the new CAP reform provides several elements like voluntary coupled support, eco-schemes, rural development investment programs that can help boost protein production in the EU and reduce the EU dependency on rich protein feed materials.

All speakers agreed that innovation is a 'must have' tool to ensure the success of the Green Deal and its Farm to Fork Strategy. New tools should be provided by suppliers, and more importantly allowed to be used by farmers to produce more with less to mitigate climate change impacts. This is the case especially when it comes to New Genomic Techniques. Panellists agreed that this modern plant breeding technology might significantly contribute to increasing the EU protein self-sufficiency as well as to help reduce the footprint of feed production. It is, therefore, necessary that the EU legislators will swiftly introduce a favourable framework that allows industry and farmers to use them, following public consultations and impact assessments. The EU must not isolate itself from the international trade environment that is generally favourable to NGTs.

Michael Scannell, DG AGRI, stated, 'feed manufacturers are well-advised to promote sustainable sourcing practices and traceability of feed materials to respond to retailers questions where they are sourced from'. He pointed to two new EU planned initiatives, the upcoming voluntary Code of Conduct for Responsible Business & Marketing Practices in the food chain and mandatory due diligence measures, with a key focus on deforestation-free supply chains.

FEFAC President, Asbjørn Børsting replied by referring to 'FEFAC's Soy Sourcing Guidelines 2021, including the possibility for verification and certification programmes to be benchmarked on 'conversion-free soy', as a proactive initiative to facilitate the transition to a more sustainable supply chain, with clear progress on the ground (78 percent of soy used coming from low-risk deforestation areas and 49 percent of soy usage in the feed industry according to FEFAC's SSG criteria in 2019).

The day ahead of the online conference, FEFAC published the Feed Sustainability Charter Progress Report 2021. This publication contains an overview of FEFAC activities and deliverables from the past year in relation to the five Charter ambitions on how the European Feed Industry can contribute to the development of more sustainable livestock and aquaculture value chains.

For more information visit the FEFAC website, HERE.

The Aquaculturists

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R-Biopharm Rhône secures Investors in People Platinum award

Glasgow-based R-Biopharm Rhône (RBR), a business which manufactures and distributes test kits for the analysis of foodstuffs for a diverse range of constituents and potential contaminants, has joined the elite ranks of UK businesses accredited with the Investors in People (IIP) Platinum award.

Simon Bevis
Image credit: R-Biopharm Rhône

The company, employing 60 people at its West of Scotland Science Park base in the north west of the city, is one of the UK's most successful exporters in its field, selling more than 70 percent of its output to major international companies outside the UK.

Investors in People Platinum is the highest standard of the IIP accreditation and is an endorsement held by just 70 companies, or one percent of the 8,300 UK firms with some form of IIP accreditation. IIP standards are internationally recognised accreditations held by over 10,000 organisations across the world.

Simon Bevis, Managing Director of RBR, says: 'We are delighted that our business has been assessed as one which meets the standards of IIP's Platinum accreditation.

'When people ask me about the benefits of investing time and effort into achieving the IIP Platinum rating, my answer is that it is completely worthwhile as it proves itself to be instrumental in many aspects of the business including an important contribution to staff recruitment and retention levels.

'Most other things being equal, if a job candidate is struggling to choose between companies, who would not be more attracted to a business with an IIP Platinum rating?

'We spend a lot of our lives at work and it's important to feel happy, involved and well looked after; IIP Platinum accreditation speaks volumes for the quality of the people in the organisation and the way everyone is engaged and involved in decision making and moving the business forward.'

Mr Bevis continues: 'Equally, the UK and global business environment is becoming more demanding, with customers seeking reassurance from their suppliers that they meet the highest ethical and people management standards.

'Therefore, possession of the IIP Platinum accreditation is invaluable in reassuring these customers that, in dealing with RBR, they are doing business with a company that has been assessed by a highly-respected third party and has been judged to meet the highest management, organisational and ethical standards.'

In recent years, RBR has been engaged in increasing demand for reliable testing solutions and with in-house, state of the art research and development and production facilities, it has been able to able to respond to these needs successfully.

It specialises in kits for the analysis of toxins, vitamins and allergens which are used by its customers in a wide range of sectors including dairy, cereal, animal feed and beverage manufacturing.

For more information visit the R-Biopharm Rhône website, HERE.

The Aquaculturists

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ASC’s new Feed Standard will tackle one of the biggest threats to aquaculture’s reputation

Unsustainable and irresponsible practices across the aquaculture feed supply chain risk undoing the positive impact of the farming industry according to the Aquaculture Stewardship Council (ASC) which is today launching a Feed Standard to tackle this issue.

The Standard is the result of years of development by a diverse group of experts comprising feed producers, retailers, NGOs, farmers, and other stakeholders. It requires that feed mills meet strict environmental and social requirements; source ingredients from socially responsible suppliers; and use environmentally responsible raw materials. In doing so, issues in both the supply chain and at raw material level are addressed. Requirements on reporting of performance will also improve the transparency of the industry, reward environmental sustainability, and assist future research into responsible feed.

The Standard will now enter a 14-month 'effective period', allowing auditors, feed manufacturers and their suppliers to familiarise themselves with the Standard and prepare for certification. Following that period, the Standard will become effective in Autumn 2022, when feed mills become eligible for certification. Farms will then have 24 months to switch to ASC compliant feed in order to continue meeting the ASC Farm Standards.

Following the Netflix film Seaspiracy, there has been much debate about the impact of the marine ingredients used by fish farms. ASC's Feed Standard makes clear that while certified mills must source increasing levels of environmentally sustainable ingredients, marine ingredients in fact make up a minority of feed ingredients, with around 75 percent of global aquafeed ingredients derived from agriculture - crops like soy, wheat and rice. These have their own impacts, notably deforestation and land conversion, which are often overlooked in debates about the industry.

Chris Ninnes, ASC CEO, says: 'Aquaculture is already providing over half of the seafood consumed around the world, livelihoods to millions of people, and without it we will not be able to achieve food security for a growing global population with a low carbon footprint. But this positive impact will be undone unless the feed used by the industry is sourced responsibly. ASC has spent the last decade incentivising producers to reduce the impacts of their farms, and now we're spreading this approach to the wider supply chain.

'Marine ingredients play an important role providing vital nutrients to farmed fish, but like everything they must be used and sourced responsibly. Rather than driving substitution of one type of ingredient with another, the ASC Feed Standard recognises that all ingredients - marine and agricultural - can have benefits as well as impacts, and must be addressed holistically.

'We know many producers and feed manufacturers are already taking this issue seriously, and we want to reward them and incentivise others to follow suit to tackle what could be the biggest threat to the industry's reputation. This standard could not have been produced without the work and expertise of our multi-stakeholder Steering Committee and I'd like to thank them for their contribution to this important milestone for the wider industry.'

Extending ASC's approach to responsible aquaculture
The Feed Standard takes the ASC's approach to responsible aquaculture and extends it to the feed mills that manufacture aquafeed, as well as the suppliers of their ingredients. These mills will be the facilities audited against the standard, but they and farms will be given time to ensure their supply chains meet ASC requirements. The Standard will also incentivise more feed mills to work towards certification to meet growing demand from ASC farms.

As well as environmental sustainability, mills must also ensure they and their suppliers are socially responsible. For instance, independent auditors must verify that mills are not using forced or child labour, pay and treat their staff fairly, and must not discriminate on any grounds. They must also be responsible neighbours, communicating proactively with their local communities. Certified feed mills are required to conduct Due Diligence on their supply chains to adhere to these principles as well, ensuring an impact in areas where the risk of these issues are more prevalent.

As a source of protein, aquaculture has one of the lowest carbon footprints, but it is important that the industry monitors and works to reduce its footprint along the entire supply chain. ASC certified feed mills will have to record and report their energy use and greenhouse gas emissions; and work to improve energy efficiency, use of renewables, and water usage.

The Feed Standard uses an improvement model for marine ingredients, which requires feed mills to source from more sustainable fisheries overtime. MSC and MarinTrust, both full ISEAL-members, play a crucial role in this mechanism. Intermediate steps are recognised Fishery Improvement Projects leading-up to each scheme. Ultimately, the major volume of marine ingredients needs to be derived from MSC fisheries.

The model offers a unique opportunity for feed mills to work together with their fish meal and fish oil suppliers to meet the increasing requirements over time.

For plant-based ingredients, as with marine based, mills will have to record and report all ingredients that make up over one percent of a feed, and will need to take steps to ensure they have been sourced from supply chains with low-risk for illegal deforestation. Additionally, they will have to assess the risk of high-risk and high-volume ingredients contributing towards deforestation or land conversion, and must commit and report publicly to transitioning to a supply chain free from these key negative impacts. This mechanism is based on internationally recognised steps by the Accountability Framework initiative (AFi) to work towards ethical supply chains.

Next steps
ASC will be providing additional documents for auditors and feed mills to provide clear guidance on how the standard should be implemented, just as the Certification Accreditation Requirements (CAR) does for the ASC farm standards. ASC is also working with mills to ensure these documents are appropriate in a practical setting, and looking at ways to make the audit process as efficient as possible.

During the current period, alongside this guidance workshops will be held for stakeholders to learn more and ask questions. ASC staff across the world will be reaching out to their stakeholders in various sectors to explain the benefits and requirements of the new standard, and how they could be impacted.

For more information visit the ASC website, HERE.

The Aquaculturists

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