NFU Briefing
Page 1
Circulation:
Date:
2nd December 2011
Ref:
Contact:
Matt Ware
Tel:
0207 808 6620
Feeding Food Waste to Livestock
Background
According to recent statistics, released by Sussex University, 20 million tonnes of food brought into UK
homes each year is still ending up in the bin. As the UK diverts more and more waste away from landfill
in order to meet the targets set by the EU landfill directive, it is reasonable to expect that numerous
initiatives will be explored to increase sustainability and it is crucial that markets are available for these
recycled products. The agricultural industry recognises that the level of food wasted is an issue that
needs addressing. Therefore, it is important that we utilise waste from the food chain wherever we can
and the NFU fully support sensible initiatives that do so.
Feeding waste food from catering establishments including home kitchens and restaurants - even if it is
only vegetables - has been banned since the 2001 national foot-and-mouth outbreak. The devastation
of both this and the Classical Swine Fever outbreak of 2000, both of which began as a result of feeding
infected meat products to pigs, are still fresh in the minds of the agricultural community. Subsequently,
there is caution within the community about both the public perception of feeding waste to livestock and
any continuing animal health concerns.
This ‘waste’ utilisation issue coincides with a severe shortage in availability of GM free animal feed
protein, particularly soya, which is grown predominantly in South America and utilised by the pig and
poultry sectors. Whilst EU GM feed restrictions continue, the price of GM-free soya is rocketing, putting
inflationary pricing pressures on UK produced pig and poultry products, whilst perversely, imported
products are allowed to have been fed GM diets. Any new sources of protein are therefore welcomed
and the current discussion on the reintroduction of ‘waste’ meat and bone meal into animal feed diets is
encouraged, provided safe guards are stringently maintained.
The NFU is also keen to support the production of UK biofuels from our current export surplus wheat
and oilseed rape production. Not only do such biofuels offer a whole-lifecycle 70% carbon saving over
fossil fuels, but a third of the output is high-protein distillers grains animal feed, which is particularly
suited to the dairy sector.
Utilisation of UK sourced ‘waste’ or by-products and development of new sectors such as biofuels not
only contribute to disposal cost savings, but add value to UK production and allow for import
substitution of products such as soya, which can contribute to deforestation in South America. UK
utilisation therefore is beneficial to both the UK and global environment through reduced landfill,
transportation and land-use change.
Recycling Waste Produce: Current Practices
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The pig industry already uses over a million tonnes per annum of co- and by-products from food
manufacturing, mainly in the form of wheat feed, biscuit meal (cake, bread, cereal products),
starch extraction products and whey products.
Being highly regulated, all products have to be Feed Materials Assurance Scheme, (FEMAS)
assured and not come from manufacturing plants that have any meat products on site, to
minimise the risk of cross-contamination. There is no resistance to the livestock industry in
utilising such products as long as the chain is properly audited.
The
voice of British farming
Although every effort has been made to ensure accuracy, neither the NFU nor
the author can accept liability for errors and or omissions. © NFU
NFU Briefing
Page 2
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Products such as wet brewer’s grains, surplus potatoes, bread waste etc. can all be an
excellent low cost supplement to a cows diet. Dairy businesses in the parts of the country less
suited to grass growth, for instance in the east of the country have the advantage of being near
food manufacturing businesses and can utilise this waste at short notice. The ability to receive,
store and use such material at short notice makes the relationship mutually beneficial – for
instance when machinery breaks down and food has to be disposed of.
This summer, with drought like conditions through the midlands, some farmers have been
forced to use all their winter grass and maize silage during the summer and autumn. Many will
survive the winter by feeding a diet based on barley straw and apple pulp. This is a balanced,
nutritious and palatable ration; and allows farmers feed their herd whilst utilizing a product that
would otherwise be destined for landfill.
Recycling Waste Produce: Precautionary approach
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Retailers are currently looking for alternatives to landfill for waste food and have been
discussing plans with the Animal Health and the Veterinary Laboratories Agency (AHVLA)
and Defra to source non-meat waste food directly from supermarkets for further processing into
pig feed. The NFU and the National Pig Association (NPA) are concerned that the risk of crosscontamination with meat products or of products that have been in contact with meat is high –
particularly as there are likely to be less well informed staff at the supermarket who don’t
understand the importance of properly segregating the products.
There is concern by the large increase in pet pig owners, many of whom do not understand the
legal responsibilities with respect to owning pigs. The widely held view that the pig is a great
recycler that should be fed kitchen waste still exists and poses a risk to the health of the
national herd. If it became common practice for retailers to send their waste food for use in pig
feed, it would be particularly hard to explain to consumers why they shouldn’t be allowed to do
the same.
The pig’s nutritional requirements are very specific and should be tightly controlled to reduce the
pollution potential. Should the focus become more about using pigs to dispose of waste, the
level of ammonia and nitrogen excreted from pigs could increase. This could also impact
performance i.e. growth, food conversion, days to slaughter etc. and therefore environmental
efficiency.
Summary
Whilst the focus should be on reducing the amount of waste produced in the first place, the NFU also
support alternative methods of dealing with waste food such as anaerobic digestion and gasification.
Such processes provide a useful output in the form of energy (which provides an alternative income
source), remove any undesirable pathogens and convert the final product into a safe and low-odour
fertiliser for re-use therefore reducing reliance on artificial fertilisers.
It is already possible to find numerous examples of the successes of recycling food waste for livestock
feed within the agricultural sector. As already discussed, both farmers and suppliers can benefit
economically from such practices, due to reduced costs for waste disposal and feed procurement for
farmers. This coupled with the obvious environmental benefits of reducing the tonnage of waste
disposed in landfill each year, will lead to mounting pressure on the UK Government and within the EU
to re-instate food waste into livestock diets. Yet due to historical precedents, the issue must be
approached with an air of caution. It is imperative for farmers that the general public and livestock
producers are reassured that any changes to the existing legislation will not result in public or animal
health scares. Outbreaks such as foot-and-mouth have provided definitive examples of the near
irreversible effects of such events on the sector and thus any changes to existing legislation should be
done so only with the support of the industry, science and the public opinion.
The
voice of British farming
Although every effort has been made to ensure accuracy, neither the NFU nor
the author can accept liability for errors and or omissions. © NFU