Growing regional animal feed and using rye, which requires less fertilizer and water than other cereals and tends to be very healthy: Resource-efficient animal feed and innovative compound feed concepts can make a significant contribution to more sustainable agriculture and food production and have a positive effect on animal welfare. 6-R(1) has already provided valid data supporting these aspects in the context of hog feeding. The initiators are now hoping to see the same results for broilers within the scope of the FUETURE(2) research project.
KWS had already been involved in 6-R as an industry partner. The FUETURE project that has now been approved was initiated jointly by KWS, the University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover Foundation (TiHo) and other partners(3). It will investigate the resource-efficient use of animal feed in poultry farming. Here, too, regional protein sources such as peas, the cultivation of special, early-maturing grain corn varieties and the use of rye as a climate-adapted cereal crop could contribute to a more sustainable production of animal foods. “The focus of our scientific studies is on the special features of rye, peas, field beans and domestic soybeans in poultry feeding as well as their potential effects on animal health and animal welfare,” says Prof. Christian Visscher, who heads the Institute for Animal Nutrition at TiHo. “First, the feed value will be investigated at Bingen Technical University of Applied Sciences.” The aim is to determine the environmental footprint of an innovative feeding concept for poultry using scientific methods. “As a plant breeding company, we offer an exceptionally broad portfolio of crops and develop modern varieties that are increasingly resource-efficient,” says Dr. Peter Hofmann, member of the KWS Executive Board and responsible, among other things, for the Cereals Business Unit. “Against this backdrop, KWS actively promotes innovative and sustainable feeding concepts. The BMEL’s funding of this project underscores our strategic orientation.”
In the case of pig feeding, this has already been achieved on the basis of scientific data from the 6-R project. The results show that feeding pigs a diet with a high rye content both promotes animal health and significantly reduces CO2 emissions from livestock farming. If you look at the areas of feed cultivation, livestock farming and slaughter, around 60 percent of pork’s harmful CO2 emissions come from feeding. It has been proven scientifically that feeding pigs a rye-rich diet can reduce CO2 emissions by around 20 to 30 percent up until slaughter. KWS expects that the sustainable feeding concept developed on this basis will be certified before the end of this year.
With a broad product portfolio of crops and digital tools, KWS is developing solutions for sustainable, resource-efficient and economical animal feeding in its Seed2FEED program.
(1): Regional renaissance of rye and oilseed rape to reduce problems in crop and livestock production through the reevaluation of substances and their systematic use to support environmental, animal and consumer protection).
(2): Feeding to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and energy consumption – Investigations of feed selection and supply form to increase sustainability, animal health and regionality in the feeding of broilers (FUETURE).
(3): Other participants in the FUETURE project are Bingen Technical University of Applied Sciences and the IFF (Internationale Forschungsgemeinschaft Futtermitteltechnik e.V. – International Association for Feed Technology).
Picture credit: (c) Stiftung Tierärztliche Hochschule Hannover (TiHo)